


Evolution of the Divine

by chocolatecrowncreator



Series: Immortality [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anakin Skywalker Needs a Hug, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Eldritch Anakin Skywalker, F/M, Fix-It, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, Polyamory, Slow Burn, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-16 07:20:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 26,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28952589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chocolatecrowncreator/pseuds/chocolatecrowncreator
Summary: As a child Anakin Skywalker always knew that he was not fully human. When he joined the Jedi he had to quickly learn how to temper that part of his nature that easily flowed from dark to light. It isn't until the death of his mother that it was inevitable for the child of the Force to remain docile. Now he must navigate through a war alongside his new Padawan and his trusted captain. Through it all he also finds himself drawn to not only Senator Amidala but to Obi-wan as well.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padmé Amidala/Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker
Series: Immortality [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2131581
Comments: 60
Kudos: 107





	1. Consequences

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Disconnected Conduit](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24613453) by [Annessarose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annessarose/pseuds/Annessarose). 



The sand beneath Anakin’s feet shifted. The heat of the twin suns was suffocating.Again, Anakin was reminded of why he hated Tatooine. For him, it was a constant reminder of the pain he had to endure in slavery.When he left with Qui Gon Jinn, the planet became a symbol of the shame and guilt that Anakin carried with him. It was where he abandoned his mom and all the other slaves that still remained in chains by the Hutts. 

Now it has gained a new meaning for him. Tatooine is now the place of his greatest failure, the promise that he had made to his mother that he never fulfilled. He had 10 years to save her and he failed. He could not bring her happiness and freedom. All that he has brought her is bloodshed and carnage. 

The pain comes back tenfold. 

The cries of the Tusken Raiders fill his mind. 

_ THEY’RE LIKE ANIMALS _

‘No they weren’t’ 

_ AND I SLAUGHTERED THEM LIKE ANIMALS _

No, he was the animal. The one who was always vulnerable to his emotions, always acting before he could think. The one who looked into the mirror and saw a mixture of a dark winged beast with eyes the color of blood and a glowing griffin with luminous green eyes. 

The early words of Obi-wan come back to him.

“The boy is dangerous, Master”

‘Oh, Obi-wan’, Anakin thought.

After everything that Obi-wan has done for him, Anakin has betrayed his trust. Every lesson that Obi-wan has ever taught him vanished from his mind as Anakin had decimated the entire Tusken village. He fears that the truth will destroy his master. 

“Master Kenobi can never hear the truth my boy,” the voice of the chancellor whispers into his mind, “He is too entrenched within the dogmatic views of the Jedi Order. He simply does not understand you”

“Trust in Obi-wan, Ani”, his mother told him, “He will help you make things right, my son. He has taken care of you when I was not able to and for that I am grateful”

Scenes burst through his mind.

A hand rustling his hair in affection.

A deep chuckle accompanied by a rush of pride.

Clear blue eyes that carried soft tenderness and understanding.

Then a voice calling his name.

“Anakin”

“Come back Anakin”

“WAKE UP!”

Anakin opened his eyes.

Obi-wan anxiously waited by his padawan’s side in the medbay, always watching the continuous rise and fall of Anakin’s chest that signaled life. Since they have arrived on Coruscant, Anakin has been put on sedatives while the healers worked to treat him for his severed arm. The healers told him that they would continue with his prosthetic surgery when Anakin regained consciousness. Knowing his padawan, Obi-wan knew that Anakin would probably end up upgrading his own prosthetic once he was released from medbay. 

“There’s always room for improvement Master”, Anakin would say, blue eyes bright with thoughts of innovation.

Obi-wan smiled softly, his heart swelling with affection for his young padawan before guilt washed it all away. Obi-wan had failed Anakin. He had allowed Dooku to hurt his padawan because he was not strong enough. He could have gotten back up and defended Anakin just as the boy had done for him. If the Force had been crueler Obi-wan could have lost Anakin just as he had lost Qui Gon. Obi-wan inhaled quietly.

_ There is no emotion, there is peace  _

Obi-wan gathered his emotions and released them into the force. Being in this state will not be good for Anakin once he wakes up. 

A soft grunt broke his concentration and his head snapped towards Anakin. His young apprentice winced in pain.

“Anakin”, Obi-wan said as he reached for his padawan’s hand.

His poor padawan grasped his hand tightly, an anchor against whatever plagued Anakin within his dreams. Obi-wan remembers the dreams of Anakin’s mother that he had mentioned. Is this what he had been talking about? Anakin’s pained gasp brings Obi-wan back to the present. 

“Come back Anakin”, he tells the boy again.

This time, Obi-wan reaches out to Anakin with the force and freezes at what he senses. Throughout Anakin’s apprenticeship the boy has always kept his shields up even when the two attempted a meditation together. When Obi-wan questioned Anakin about this he always saw a glimpse of fear in his padawan’s eyes. Over time, Obi-wan came to the conclusion that it was a result of Anakin’s years of slavery, the need to keep his privacy hidden so that it could never be taken away. Never did Obi-wan think about what part of himself Anakin was hiding. 

Looking at his padawan with no shields in place for the first time shocked him to his core. He knew that Qui Gon had believed that Anakin had been conceived by the Force itself but Obi-wan never imagined the implications of what that meant. Anakin was unlike anything he had ever seen. His padawan was so beautiful and so full of light. Suddenly a black string began to weave itself into Anakin’s light and Obi-wan recoiled in anger.

“WAKE UP”, he yelled, fearful that the darkness would harm his apprentice.

Anakin’s eyes open and Obi-wan is thrown backwards onto the hard floor of the medbay.His back aches in protest but he forces himself to focus on his apprentice sitting straight up, his blue eyes staring into space with a terrified gaze.

“Anakin, look at me. You’re safe now”, Obi-wan told the boy as he reached to embrace his apprentice. 

The tension leaves Anakin’s body at Obi-wan’s touch and his body sags into the older man’s arms. Obi-wan sighed in relief as he wraps his arms around the young boy.

“It’s all right dear one. I’m here for you”, he whispered, resting his chin on Anakin’s head.

Anakin inhaled sharply and straightened up to meet Obi-wan’s eyes.

“Master I need to tell you something”


	2. The Unveiling

It all started to pour out. Every moment from Anakin’s trip to Tatooine slipped from Anakin’s tongue. Searching for his mother and finding out that she had been freed, discovering that she had married Cliegg Lars but had been kidnapped by the Tusken Raiders, and going out in the desert looking for her. Throughout the entire story Anakin watched Obi-wan, scanning his face for every minute reaction that his master showed on his face or through the force. Anakin saw his master wince.

“I am so sorry Anakin. I should have listened to you about your mother. Prophetic dreams are very rare among the Jedi. Only a handful of Jedi are known throughout the history of the Order to have this power, but given your strength in the Force I should have considered it. Forgive me, Padawan”

Anakin had no idea what to do. Obi-wan asking for his forgiveness was a rarity throughout their apprenticeship. It warmed Anakin’s heart to know that his mother’s advice from the desert dream was right. It gave him courage to speak the next words.

“You have always been by my side through everything, Master. All I ask is that you let me finish talking about what happened”

Obi-wan’s eyes widened and then narrowed. His master’s hand rose to stroke his beard. He nodded to Anakin, signaling him to continue. Anakin breathed in focusing on his master’s light in the force to brace himself of the darkness that was sure to come. 

“I found her in their camp in one of their huts, She was tied to a post and I saw the wounds they left on her. The bruises they put on my mother. I untied her and she fell into my arms. She felt so light Master and so small”

Anakin closed his eyes as he remembered the love on his mother’s face when she recognized him.He could still feel her rough palm caressing his cheek. 

“She died in my arms, trying to tell me that she loved me”

Anakin opened his eyes and saw his master’s sad gaze. 

“I felt her slip away. I tried to find her again but she was gone. Her body was with me but my mother was gone”

The sorrow rushed through Anakin’s body, smashing all of Anakin’s shields. His master’s face crumbled.

“Anakin, I’m so sorry”

The boy shook his head. That didn’t excuse the monster that was unleashed on those people. Nobody ever deserved that part of him. The part of him that sways between the light and dark. Both equally as deadly as the other. Despite the Jedi teaching him that the light side of the force was to be embraced, Anakin knew that light without the dark was just as painful as the dark. He used the light against the Tuskens with equal ease. How could one even defend themselves from a figure blazing with the light of countless suns? How could one stand near the sun without burning?

“I couldn’t stop myself. I lost control and the entire village suffered because of it”

Anakin dropped his head into his hands preparing for his master’s rejection.

“I should have been there” 

A gentle hand stroked the top of Anakin’s head.

“It’s okay Anakin. We’ll figure this out together”

The boy looked up to see Obi-wan staring back at him, determination glinting from his eyes. 

“Going forward into the future will put both of us in more danger than anything we have experienced so far. We’ll have to rely on each other even more Anakin, which means that we need to have a great amount of trust in one another. I am willing to place my trust in you padawan. Will you do the same for me?”

Anakin was speechless. Too many emotions filled the boy’s mind to form a response. The only thing he could do was reach towards Obi-wan to embrace him fiercely, hoping to convey everything he was feeling into this one gesture.

“Master, you have always had my trust. Believe me, you were never the problem”

Anakin paused.

“I’m not normal, Master. I never have been. I’ve been trying to hide it since I came to the temple”

“What do you mean Anakin”, Obi-wan asked.

“Look at me Master” Anakin said.

The padawan called upon the light and dark to fill his body. He heard his master gasp and knew the horrifying sight that Obi-wan would see. When Anakin called upon both sides of the force his force image would flicker between the two avatars of the force. He wondered which one frightened his master the most. With that thought Anakin let the power flow back into the force and focused back on his master who was back into the familiar motion of stroking his beard.

“How long has this been happening to you?”

Anakin thought about the first time he performed a mind trick on Watto. The Toydarian had threatened to sell his mother and Anakin had sharply fired back with a refusal that Watto would never tear them apart. Back then he saw no concern for the way his voice distorted the air around him or the way Watto’s eyes glazed over as he repeated the command. A few years later Anakin was confused by Qui Gon’s inability to do the same for the hyperdrive.

“It’s always been like this for me.Using the force was always effortless for me. I could always feel it, waiting for me to use it”

Anakin sighed.

“Lately it’s been harder to control. The Force is out of balance and with the war starting, I don’t know if I’ll be strong enough to contain it through this conflict”

Obi-wan set a hand on Anakin’s left shoulder.

“You have shouldered this power far too long on your own, padawan. I will do my best to help you with all I have”

His master was projecting comfort and sincerity within the force which Anakin found himself drawn to, eagerly soaking in the safety of Obi-wan’s presence. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the feedback that I received from last chapter! Again I highly encourage any feedback you can offer. This chapter was mainly to explore Anakin's emotions as well as to explore what he is capable of as a half-force child. Hope you all enjoyed it!


	3. The Guardian

A sharp ring came from Obi-wan’s communicator. He took it out from his belt and saw that he had received a summons from the Council. Obi-wan stood up from his seat on Anakin’s bed.

“The council has summoned me padawan. I will go see what they need and then I will explain our situation to them. From there we can choose how to move forward”

Before he turned to leave a hand yanked his shoulder back and Obi-wan saw his padawan’s fearful face.

“You cannot tell the council Master. They cannot know about this. Swear to me that you will keep my secret”

Obi-wan was stunned. Keeping a secret this large from the council was a terrible idea. The consequences for what would happen if the truth was ever discovered would likely jeopardize both of their roles in the order. It seemed that Anakin was not satisfied by his hesitation.

_ “Swear to me Master” _

The air distorted around Anakin in that moment sending chills along Obi-wan’s skin. Distantly he heard a distressed screech, but the only thing he could focus on was the desperation in Anakin’s eyes. He always knew the extreme lengths that he was willing to go for his apprentice. He was ready to leave the order to follow him but never did he expect to keep secrets from the Council, especially Master Yoda.Now he would have to, he had to do it. For Anakin, Obi-wan would do anything. 

“I swear, Anakin. This will stay between us”

His padawan sank back into the bed. Their past conversation seeming to drain Anakin of whatever energy he had. Obi-wan reached to hold his padawan’s hand.

“Now you must rest. The healers should be preparing you for your prosthetic surgery soon”

He sent his padawan a sleep suggestion along with those words. Anakin turned to him with a small yawn.

“Thank you master. Knew you would never leave me”

Obi-wan felt his cheeks redden as he took in his padawan’s words. Anakin’s trust in him was heartwarming. Looking back at his sleeping padawan he smiled.

Obi-wan looked out onto the planet of Coruscant trying to memorize the last glimpses of peace from the Council room.He looked over at Mace Windu who stood by his side.

“Do you believe what Count Dooku said? About Sidious controlling the Senate? It doesn’t feel right”

Remembering his grandmaster’s fondness for him due to his connection to Qui Gon, Obi-wan saw no reason to why Dooku would lie to him.

“Join the dark side, Dooku has”, said Yoda.

“Lies, deceit, creating mistrust are his ways now”, he continued on.

“Nevertheless I feel we should keep a closer eye on the Senate”, Master Windu said.

“I agree”, Master Yoda replied.

Master Windu turned to Obi-wan.

“Where is your apprentice?”, he asked.

“On his way to Naboo, escorting Senator Amidala“,Obi-wan said.

His mind wandered to the way the young senator had worried over Anakin on the way back from Geonosis. He hoped that Anakin wouldn’t do anything foolish, especially with everything his padawan had just revealed to him. He quickly diverted the attention away from his padawan

“I admit without the clones it would not have been a victory”

“Victory”, Yoda interjected, “Victory you say, Master Obi-wan”

Obi-wan looked over to Master Yoda who seemed more weathered than he had ever seen before. Seeing the toll of the upcoming war on his fellow jedi was hard to see but observing the way it affected Master Yoda was a different kind of pain.

“Not victory, the shroud of the dark side has fallen. Begun the clone war has”

With those words Obi-wan looked back towards Coruscant, worried for the future of the Jedi and for Anakin as well. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay the end dialogue did come from Attack of the Clones so credit for that goes to George Lucas. Next chapter we will be going to Naboo with some slight differences from the way the movie ended. Hope you are all enjoying this!


	4. The Lover

Padme couldn’t sleep. How could she? Knowing that she had failed in her duties to her people and to a certain degree the rest of the galaxy. It all started with letting Corde die which only allowed her to be forced back at home. Though if she was being honest with herself those few days with Ani meant everything to her. Those times when he wasn’t aggressively hitting on her and instead allowed himself to just be Ani with her in the fields brought a smile to her face. 

‘You had your chance with him Padme. The circumstances are different now. He is not only a Jedi now but a soldier. He may not even live through this war’

Padme cursed the logical voice in her mind. It was not like she couldn't see the problems in their relationship but she liked how he made her feel. She remembered the kiss in the arena and the words she said to Ani.The sound of Dorme’s voice interrupted her thoughts

“Milady it is time to get you ready. We should be back home soon”

Padme rose from her bed. Thoughts of forbidden romance were not appropriate. She was a senator and she had to prepare so that she could guide her people through this war. That was her priority right now and yet her mind still wandered to the taste of his lips and the light in his eyes.

Padme looked out to the water surrounding Varykino. Staring at the gentle waves made it easier to ignore the chaos that was happening across the galaxy. Closing her eyes Padme gathered the courage for what she was about to do. She knew it was wrong for her to want this but Padme wanted to be happy. With Anakin she was able to drop the mask of Amidala and just be Padme Naberrie.

“You wanted to see me milady”

She turned and there he was, Anakin Skywalker. Her eyes danced around his face, noting every one of his features. Though no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t stop herself from admiring his eyes. Those eyes just as blue as the water flowing below, those eyes that could shine with laughter but could also burn with pain. Her mother always told her that a person’s soul was hidden within their eyes.

“I heard you were leaving the day after tomorrow”

“Yes Senator. It is important for all the Jedi to prepare for what’s to come”

Padme noticed how his right hand tightened into a fist.

“I have much to do once I return to the Temple”

Padme took a breath in.

“I will miss you Ani”

Shock filled his eyes before they softened.

“Don’t worry Padme. Hopefully this war won’t last long and the galaxy can find peace once again”

Padme heard the doubt in his words.

“You’ll be fighting on the frontlines in numerous systems. You’ll be in constant danger”

“I will do my duty Senator”

He glared at her in defiance, willing her to contest what he said. Slowly his stance became more relaxed, his hands moving behind his back.

“What are you trying to say Padme?”

“Will you marry me?”

Anakin froze. He opened his mouth to speak but no intelligible words came out. Padme smothered the urge to laugh.

“I-I-I don’t understand”

Padme walked toward him and reached for his cheek. He looked back at her with a questioning gaze.

“With this war coming, nothing is set in stone anymore. Any day you could die on a battlefield and the Separatists will no doubt be targeting me as well. I want to have a sense of happiness in this war and I want it to be with you. Anakin Skywalker will you marry me?”

He gave her a sweet smile that made her stomach flip. He reached to grab the hand Padme held to his cheek and brushed his lips across her palm. Padme gave a small little gasp, shocked by the small flash of lust that rushed through her.

“You have no idea how much I would like to say yes, Padme”

She yanked her hand away and turned away from him, embarrassment flooding her body .

“Let me explain myself Padme. Please”, Anakin said.

She gathered her dignity and turned around.

“I need to focus on becoming a better person”

That threw Padme off.

“What happened on Tatooine was a tragedy. One that was caused by me. At the temple, before I got my prosthetic I told Obi-wan what happened. He is too good for me Padme. I don’t know how I could have earned his forgiveness. I’ve begun to confide in him more and I realize that I have many flaws in myself. Flaws that would hurt our relationship if I don’t resolve them. I want to be a good husband to you Padme. You deserve nothing less. I want to be a better person, a better Jedi, a better padawan. That is why I suggest that we wait”

Now it was Padme who was shocked. She could hardly believe this was the same boy that was telling her about his dislike for sand.Then she realized that he was no longer a boy. Here before her was a man who had witnessed the death of his mother and slaughtered an entire village. A man who had lost an arm and was preparing to go off to war where he would see horrors that she could barely imagine.

“You really have grown up Anakin”

He grabbed both her hands with his own.

“You know, you are the only one who still calls me Ani. The only other people who called me that were my mother and Qui Gon”

Padme frowned at the sorrow that filled his words, his voice shaking at the mention of his mother. She remembered how close Anakin stuck to Qui Gon all those years ago and tears filled her eyes as Padme came to the conclusion that Qui Gon was probably the closest Anakin ever had to a father.

“Well as long as you don’t mind it Ani”, she told him, glancing at him with a grin.

His face opened with that beautiful wide smile that Padme adored. Still, one question was on her mind.

“Would that mean you still would be interested in a relationship with me?”

She could practically see the gears spinning in his head which would make sense giving Anakin’s knowledge in mechanics.

“So it would be a practice trial before getting married right? Like doing a test run?”

Padme couldn’t help herself then, not when Anakin was saying silly things like that. She giggled before pressing her lips to his. Warmth filled her as he wrapped his left arm around her waist.

“Is that a yes?” he asked playfully, causing Padme to giggle again as she nodded her head.

“So what happens now? Given that we are now officially in a relationship together”, Anakin questioned with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Padme gave no answer but simply grabbed his hands to lead him into the house back to her bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The tease at the end was cruel of me wasn't it lol  
> Yeah I know. So we finally got a Padme Pov and I was so nervous about doing her because I love her so much. Of course I altered it so that Padme and Anakin didn't get married but they will still be in a relationship. So excited to write the next chapter! The next chapter will be smut but it will focus more on the emotional connection between Padme and Anakin then the actual smut itself.


	5. Exploring the Edge

Anakin’s skin was warm underneath her fingers. He had taken off his Jedi robes as they made their way to Padme’s bed. Now all she could focus on was exploring Anakin’s chest and torso. Her wandering hands caressing his smooth skin. She looked at his face and paused seeing the indecision on his face.

“What’s wrong Ani? Do you want to stop?”

His cheeks flushed with color.

“I want to keep going, Padme. It’s just that”, Anakin stopped, ducking his head and avoiding Padme’s eyes. 

He looked at her with innocent blue eyes and realization washed over. Padme wanted to punch herself. Of course Anakin didn’t have any sexual experience. Jedi weren’t allowed to have relationships of that nature. Did the Jedi even have sexual education? Padme had no idea how likely that was and knew that she would have to be the one to help Ani for their first time. It didn’t bother her that she would have to take the lead for this. She was happy to help Ani explore his sexual wants and needs. Exploring one’s body was an important part of one’s sexual nature.

“You’ve never done this before Ani?”, she asked, confirming that this would be Anakin’s first sexual experience.

“I just want this to be perfect for you”, was all he said. 

Padme shook her head.

“That’s not what happens in a relationship Ani. We both have to act to bring each other happiness and pleasure. You should be getting as much out of this relationship as I do”

Padme patted the open space on the bed next to her.

“Lie down Ani. Let me help you feel good”

Anakin’s eyes were filled with awe. A soft longing hidden beneath his soft lashes. He slowly eased his back to lie on the bed. He looked up at her with deep trust in his eyes that left Padme speechless.

“Do you want this Ani?”, she asked, wanting his consent to continue.

“More than anything Padme”

Together the two shared a grin and Padme settled herself in between the space between Anakin’s legs. Anakin inhaled and tensed his body. Padme put her hands on his face and stroked his face while speaking to Ani in a calm voice.

“Easy Ani. This is all for you. Relax for me and allow me to love you”

Slowly she slid her hands along Anakin’s body stroking his smooth skin in various spots. Her hands skirted around his nipples and received a jerk from Anakin.

“Was that okay?”, Padme asked, wondering if she went too far.

“No it was fine. It felt good”, Anakin replied, whispering that last sentence.

She smiled and rose to share another deep kiss with Anakin. As the kiss began to build so did Padme’s lust. She broke the kiss to breathe and turned her attention to kissing his neck fervently. Anakin’s breathing became more labored and Padme could feel his dick hardening beneath her. Padme smiled to herself as she moved to straddle him. She shivered as Anakin’s hands moved under her dress to stroke her thighs.

“You feel so soft Angel” Anakin said.

Padme noted the grin on his face and the sweat beginning to set on his skin causing it to glisten in the sunlight.

“I’m not an Angel, Ani” she told him as she straightened up to look at him directly.

“You are an Angel. My Angel”, he replied reverently as he grabbed Padme’s hips.

The movement jostled Padme causing her to rub against his dick, earning her a groan from Anakin.

“Do that again. Please Padme”, he begged her with pleading eyes.

Seeing Anakin beneath her, desperate for what she could give him only heightened the arousal she already had. So she gave him exactly what he wanted. Padme began to move slowly, barely grinding against him. She braced her hands against Anakin’s chest as she began to move more. Unsurprisingly, her poor Ani was reaching the edge pretty fast. She could hear him begin to make cute little whimpers as he moved to meet her. His eyelashes fluttered with pleasure. His hands squeezed her hips, enhancing her ecstasy. Getting herself off wasn’t important to Padme though. This was all for Ani. Her sweet Ani. So Padme decided to help him reach his orgasm.She bent down and whispered softly into his ear.

“Come for me Ani. Be a good boy and come for me”

Anakin groaned in pleasure and his back arched giving Padme easy access to lather his neck with attention. She could taste the sweat on his skin with her tongue. Anakin jerked underneath her as he came to completion. When his body stilled Padme smiled at what she saw. Ani looked content, bathing in the softness that came after an orgasm. She nuzzled his cheek softly and his prosthetic hand grabbed her own and intertwined their hands together.

“Thank you for showing me this Padme”

Padme smiled and eased herself off his body. She winced at the ache in her thighs but made her way to Anakin’s side. 

“Are you okay? Were you able to satisfy yourself too?”, Anakin asked, hesitating before asking the second question.

“Yes I’m fine Ani. I didn’t come like you did but that wasn’t my priority. What I really wanted was to help you find pleasure. We still have tomorrow after all and I’m sure you could help me come many times before you leave for Coruscant. Would that sound good for you Ani?”, Padme responded, knowing how eager Ani was to please her.

His eyes instantly lit up but before he could answer her, Ani let out an adorable small yawn. 

“Tomorrow please. Right now I want to stay here with you”

His arms wrapped around Padme bringing her into Anakin’s body. She giggled softly before resting her head against his chest, content in the arms of the one she loved. 

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that was the first smut chapter I had ever done! What were your thoughts?  
> It should come to no surprise that Anakin has a praise kink. That's just obvious lol. Would love to know some of your favorite smutty headcanons for Anakin so you can come talk to me on tumblr at chocolatecrowncreator


	6. Lessons Learned

Anakin looked over the surface of Coruscant as the shuttle traveled to the Jedi Temple. He could sense the tension since he had first seen the Star Destroyers orbiting the planet. When he finally docked the ship in the Temple hangar he sensed that Obi-wan was there to greet him and Anakin smiled.

“How was your trip to Naboo?”, his master asked.

“Terribly dull Master. I could hardly stand being around all those politicians”, Anakin responded as he stepped off the ship’s platform. 

Obi-wan’s eyes narrowed as he looked over Anakin.

“I’m sure that Senator Amidala would enjoy your comment Padawan”

Anakin blushed as his mind wandered to the thought of Padme bringing him to completion. True to her word, the two of them spent Anakin’s final day on Naboo in a whirlwind of comfort and pleasure.

“Now I’m sure that you are eager to report back to the council but I would like you to come back to our quarters afterwards. We have much to discuss this evening Anakin”

Anakin internally groaned at the thought of having to endure another report to the council and the possibility of another lecture by Obi-wan. He bowed to his master before making his way to the council chambers.

*

“Glad to see that you survived the council report” Obi-wan said as Anakin stumbled back into their living quarters. 

He saw his master at the counter in their kitchen space and saw that he had laid out two cups of tea. That caught Anakin’s attention. Obi-wan only brought his tea set out for Anakin when he would want to reminisce about the past. Usually this would happen on the anniversary of Qui Gon’s death when Obi-wan would become very sentimental and weave great tales of adventure that he had gone on with his master when he was Anakin’s age. The child in him had adored these stories but as Anakin grew older he began to notice the toll that day brought onto Obi-wan’s shoulders. Seeing the familiar setting caused Anakin to become more cautious towards Obi-wan.

*

“Please come sit Anakin”, Obi-wan motioned to the seat across from him.

Anakin slowly sat down and took the cup of tea, relishing in its warmth.

“Now I trust you did not commit anything foolish while you were on Naboo”, Obi-wan asked, eyeing Anakin with a sharp scrutiny.

Anakin sighed, knowing that it was useless to lie to Obi-wan. He didn’t want to hide anything from the man anymore.

“She asked to marry me, Master”, he confessed.

Obi-wan’s face fell and he gave a great sigh of “Anakin”.

“I told her no, Master”, Anakin continued.

Obi-wan’s eyebrows lifted and he motioned for Anakin to continue.

“It would be cruel to give Padme that commitment and then end up dead in the middle of a battlefield so I told her no. However Padme and I have agreed that we wanted to maintain a relationship with one another”

While Anakin was talking Obi-wan kept his face blank, putting Anakin on edge as he was unsure of how his master would respond to this reveal. 

“Well Padawan I must commend you on your maturity in this situation. However I must question how you think pursuing a relationship with Senator Amidala would be reasonable?”

Anakin felt a small hint of shame at hearing his master’s words. Then he thought of Padme’s smile and her soft voice.

“I love her Master. I can think of no other reason than that”

Obi-wan’s face changed and then nodded.

“I understand Padawan”

Anakin was shocked by the sorrow that laced his master’s voice.

“It was on the planet of Mandalore about five years before the Battle of Naboo. Master Qui Gon and I were assigned on a mission to protect the Duchess of Mandalore while her world was consumed by civil war”

Obi-wan’s eyes narrowed on his tea as he started the story. Anakin leaned closer, curious to hear the rest of the tale. Obi-wan always had a way with words, capable of great persuasion and great storytelling which made him such a great diplomat.

“The Duchess's name was Satine Kryze. She was stubborn, argumentative, never listening to what I said but she was compassionate and cared greatly for her people. Her father was assassinated shortly after the civil war started and her sister was lost in the chaos. We were forced to go on the run for an entire year as countless bounty hunters tried to go after her. Through that time I developed romantic feelings for her and she returned them”

Anakin was speechless. Never did Anakin believe that Obi-wan Kenobi, the perfect Jedi, would have ever struggled with the concept of attachment. 

“What happened?”, Anakin asked, fearing for the worst.

“Well after the Mandalorian civil war ended, Satine was able to complete her transition to power. She then had to deal with the great burden of rebuilding after seeing it razed to the ground. Meanwhile Qui Gon and I were reassigned to another mission by the council. So the two of us went our separate ways”

“Did you want to stay?”Anakin pushed on.

“My duty was complete. The Jedi requested my presence elsewhere”, Obi-wan responded.

Anakin thought of a padawan Kenobi who would look into the distance knowing that there was someone out there he could find and choosing to turn away for it.

“However I have come to terms with what happened now. If I had followed my wants I would not have ever met you, Padawan”

That shocked Anakin. He hadn’t thought of that possibility. If Obi-wan hadn’t taken him on as a padawan Anakin would have been lost. A brand new appreciation for Obi-wan swept over Anakin. He reached for their Force bond and sent a wave of comfort to his master.He received a smile in return.

“I don’t can’t imagine making you choose the same way I had to, Padawan. That is why this will stay between us. However I want you to understand what the true meaning of attachment means”

Anakin frowned. He already knew what attachment was from the many masters who had tried to instill detachment in him during his beginning years at the Temple.

“Now like you I was taught that I had to be careful not to form attachments to others. I took that to heart until I became the padawan of Master Qui Gon. His point of view on the Jedi teachings was very different from what I had learned previously. He was like you, always willing to help others in need. I learned many things by his side throughout the years of my apprenticeship. His view on attachment could help you in preparing for the challenges that you will face with Senator Amidala”

Hearing about Qui Gon always brought back memories of the tall, mountain like man who carried an aura of serenity around him. His light was addicting to the fearful child Anakin was who was used to snarling viciously around the rest of the slave masters. 

“Qui Gon believed that attachment was the refusal to let go. He believed that selfless love was what Jedi could have in order to still adhere to the Code. Your love for Padme must be selfless in order to continue your duty. You cannot compromise your ideals for her”

“What do you mean”, Anakin asked.

“Would you kill someone to keep Padme safe?”

Anakin froze. The dark side roared in approval and he could feel the red begin to creep into his eyes. He felt Obi-wan grab his hand and the dark side began to recede. 

“I know it won’t be easy Anakin but it is necessary that you understand. You are one of the strongest force users I have ever seen. Your actions have repercussions that can affect the entire galaxy”

Anakin nodded as his mind went to the sands of Tatooine dirtied with the bloods of Tuskens. He won’t repeat the same mistake with Padme. He had to be better. He had to find that part of himself that dreamt of freeing the slaves of Tatooine. Staring back at his master Anakin knew that he could do it because he had Obi-wan by his side. Obi-wan would catch Anakin if he began to falter. He was what kept Anakin anchored to his limits when the temptation of the Force threatened to overtake him.

“I understand Master. I will do my best to follow your wisdom”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we are slowly fixing everything that went wrong. Starting with the human disaster that is Anakin Skywalker and getting him to understand what attachment really is. At least what my understanding of attachment is. We are now moving onto the Clone Wars Era!!! Looking forward to getting into that part of the story!!


	7. First Glance

Obi-wan glared at the dark clouds covering Kamino. After his first experience on Kamino where he was dragged over most of the facility and was continuously shot at by that bounty hunter, Jango Fett, rain was the last thing he wanted to feel to pick up the 212th. 

He had many mixed feelings about the men he was going to meet. The use of a clone army was completely horrible and it was a sign of the fractured morality within the Senate that this was allowed to happen. On the other hand, Obi-wan felt personally responsible since it was Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas that had ordered them in the first and it was Obi-wan who had discovered their existence.

Obi-wan looked over at his padawan who was uncharacteristically stoic, not even glancing to the side where numerous clones were working on various ships in need of repair. Obi-wan sighed at seeing his padawan in such pain. When telling Anakin about the clones he had never anticipated the rage that Anakin would display in that moment. The room temperature began to drop drastically to the point where Obi-wan could see his breath. He looked into Anakin’s eyes and saw them turn as red as the flames on Mustafar. Immediately he opened the bond and sent over every memory that embodied the light. 

When he taught Anakin how to swim,

The nights he spent soothing Anakin to sleep after a dreadful nightmare,

When Anakin built his first lightsaber,

All those memories Obi-wan used to greet Anakin back to light. He saw the moment Anakin came back to himself when he saw the tears in his apprentice’s eyes. Immediately Obi-wan brought him into his arms as his padawan began to cry. Slowly it all came out how the clones brought back many unwanted memories from Anakin’s years in slavery with his mother.

“They know no other life Master. They can’t even decide if they want to fight in this war. I don’t understand how this could happen. I thought we were supposed to be the good guys”

With each sob, another crack in Obi-wan’s heart was made. 

The two Jedi stopped at the end of the platform of the Star Destroyer meeting a singular clone who stood in front of the battalion that Obi-wan would be in charge of. Looking at them now his chest tightened with the fear of getting them all killed due to his inexperience. The single clone saluted both him and Anakin.

“CC-2224” 

“At ease Commander”, Obi-wan said.

“The 212th Attack Battalion is awaiting your orders General Kenobi”

The military title filled him with a sense of unease. 

“Very well Commander. Have the men get onboard the _ Negotiator.  _ We will be heading to the Savareen sector.

“Do you have a name Commander?”

The question did not surprise Obi-wan. In between sobs Anakin told Obi-wan some of the lessons he kept with him from slavery, including the importance of names.The soldier froze in his place. Then he took off his bucket and underneath was the same face of Jango Fett. However Obi-wan immediately started to pick apart the differences that set him apart from the bounty hunter.His eyes were not as hardened and his skin did not carry the scars that Fett had gotten from his harsh profession. 

“Cody, Sir”

“It’s nice to meet you, Cody. I look forward to serving with you “

Obi-wan nodded in agreement to Anakin’s words and Cody’s eyes held a hint of relief before putting his bucket on and turning back to his men to relay their orders. Obi-wan looked up towards the clouds of Kamino and saw a flash of light among the grey.


	8. The Soldier

“Captain Rex, we have to retreat! We can’t hold our position any longer!”

Rex ignored the shiny that was talking to him. He was too busy taking out as many clankers as he could while trying to figure out how to keep his men alive. He already failed once today when General Cyprus was killed. Now it was up to Rex to lead his brothers out of this battle. He had already managed to release a call for help and was waiting for a response. Instead Rex heard the whistling of vulture droids and yelled at his men to take cover when the explosion happened. Then it all went black.

A white light filled Rex’s eyes as he struggled to open his eyes.

“Good to have you back Captain”

Soon Rex’s visit was overwhelmed by a powerful light. It seared his skin, overloading all his senses until it suddenly died down. When Rex’s eyes finally adjusted he saw the Jedi. Rex had come into contact with other Jedi before but there was something different about this Jedi that caused him to be on edge. He wore the braid that marked him as a commander or as the Jedi called them, Padawans.

“We were worried that we had lost you for a while Captain”

Rex thought back to the explosion.

“Did the men get out okay Commander?”, he asked,fearing the worst.

The Jedi smile back at him and his heart swelled with hope.

“The 501st is safe, Captain. We managed to evacuate the frontlines with every man we could find. You were one of the more difficult ones to fight the Separatists for but we managed to get you onboard the  _ Negotiator _ ”

The name triggered a memory. Cody’s general was in charge of the  _ Negotiator _ . General Kenobi was becoming well-known in the Grand Army of the Republic, especially among the clones. He was known for his cleverness and his tactics that not only claimed victories but saved brothers. That’s when Rex realized who had saved his life.

“Thank you Commander Skywalker”

The young commander’s eyes hardened.

“No man gets left behind on my watch Captain”

Rex was surprised at the truth he could hear behind the Commander’s words. Never before had he seen such strength and conviction in a Jedi’s eyes. The doors in the medbay slid open and he saw an old friend.

"Good to see you Rex", Cody said to him, "I admit when we received your distress signal I feared the worst"

“It’s going to take more than just a few clankers to get rid of me”, Rex replied with as much bravado he could muster in his wounded state.The last thing he wanted was to worry Cody after all that he had done for him as a cadet on Kamino to get him where he was now as Captain.

“Glad to hear that Captain. I’ll leave you to be reacquainted with Commander Cody while I meet with my Master on the bridge”, Commander Skywalker said.

“Thank you, Commander Skywalker. Please call me Rex, I owe you for saving my life”

The Jedi smiled and bowed to both Rex and Cody before turning to leave the medbay. Watching him leave Rex could finally let himself wallow in grief. He had barely a full squad of men with him now, without a general. There was no way of knowing where his men would be placed next or if they would even survive wherever they were deployed next. That was the uncertainty that every clone faced. Cody’s eyes flashed dangerously as if knowing what Rex was thinking, though it didn’t surprise Rex. Cody was always able to read Rex easier than anyone else.

“I’m sorry about General Cyprus, Rex but I swear to you that I will do everything in my power to help you and the rest of the 501st”

Rex let himself believe that Cody was telling the truth. Just like when they were back on Kamino and Cody was soothing Rex to sleep with words of reassurance and promises that everything would be okay. For a moment he let himself believe that those words were true.

*

“You have news for the 501st, General Kenobi”, Rex asked as he accompanied Cody’s general through the halls.

“In fact I do Captain, as of right now leadership of the 501st will be transferred to a fellow Knight from the order. However it won’t be authorized until we reach Coruscant”, General Kenobi answered as he kept his eyes focused on the datapad that he was currently reading.

Rex was shocked at the news and was curious to find out who his new general would be.

“If you don’t mind me asking General Kenobi, could you tell me what to expect from the general?”

A chuckle slipped from General Kenobi’s mouth.

“Well I can tell you that he is young and very eager. He’s an extraordinary pilot and would rather spend his time in the hanger than in a war room. Always on the move with him, ever since he was a child. He’ll always have your back. Loyalty is a value that he holds very dear to his heart and he will always try to honor his loyalty to both you and your men. I could not leave the 501st in better hands Captain Rex” 

Rex watched General Kenobi’s face with interest. Who could be able to pull such trust from General Kenobi? Who could earn such pride, joy and care from the man? Who would be able to deserve the care that filled every word he spoke, that softened the sharp lines of war on the General’s face. Rex couldn’t help but trust in the Jedi as he said those words.

“Actually we’re going to meet him at the hangar right now”

Rex looked over himself in a panic, noting all the dents and dirts that were still there from his last battle. The least he could do was clean his armor before meeting his new general. Before he could kindly protest to General Kenobi the hangar doors opened and there stood Commander Skywalker.

“Good to see you again Rex. I trust that Obi-wan’s told you the news”, Commander Skywalker said.

“Yes Commander Skywalker, the 501st is being reassigned once we reach Coruscant. It was a pleasure to meet you sir, thank you for saving me along with the lives of my men”, Rex replied. 

Rex liked Skywalker. He was a good man. He had heard from some of the 501st that the Jedi had checked up on each of the troops individually. The Jedi had laughed and joked with them but had also comforted them when they cried. Skywalker was a good man even if Rex couldn’t help but remember the echo of the violent light in his presence sometimes. He focused on Skywalker and saw the confusion in his eyes.

“I don’t understand Rex. Is there a problem? Would you rather have a more experienced Jedi? I swear it’s not a problem. You have to decide what is best for your men Captain, I understand that“, Skywalker said, stumbling over his words hilariously while occasionally fidgeting with his hands. 

His big blue eyes gazed back at Rex with slight hurt in them which caused the captain to finally put the pieces together. Wow he was such an idiot, who else could receive such devotion from General Kenobi than his own padawan.

“No Commander, there is no problem. I’m honored to fight beside you but am I correct in assuming you will be given a promotion once we reach Coruscant”, Rex quickly corrected himself, slightly embarrassed from his previous confusion.

General Skywalker’s blue eyes lit up as he began to talk, “Yes I’ll be taking my trials once we reach the temple and when I pass them I’ll be a Jedi Knight”

“Such confidence Padawan, perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to meditate before reaching the temple Anakin”, General Kenobi added with a knowing smile on his face.

The grin that was on Skywalker’s face fell before settling into a small frown.

“Very well Master I will retire for the evening. I’ll see you again Captain Rex”, the Commander bowed, offering a smile at Rex before exiting the hangar.

“I trust that Anakin will be in good company with the 501st, Captain”,General Kenobi said, eyes watching Skywalker’s figure with pride and tenderness.Rex looked and saw Skywalker talking to the troopers that he passed by. As he saw the young Jedi giving them those big blue eyes and that wide smile, something in his chest settled in relief.

“He’ll be good with us General Kenobi”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait! I took a break this weekend at my cousin's house so I was off the computer. However I introduced her to the Clone Wars and watched the movie along with half of season 1. I forgot how many good episodes where in season 1! I am now adding some episodes into the plot. Thank you all for every kudos and comment I have gotten!!


	9. The Learner

Anakin heard the thunderous arrival of the droid army. He ran through the ruins of Christophsis and saw the countless amounts of droids that headed toward them. 

“They’re back”, he yelled to his former master.

Obi-wan saw the wave of droids coming and narrowed his eyes at Anakin.

“I told you this victory was too easy. We never should have sent the ship back for supplies”, Obi-wan pointedly told him.

“It wasn’t my idea to send the ship back”, Anakin retorted as Obi-wan turned to Cody to relay orders.

Anakin told Rex to gather the men and follow him to the rooftop of one of the damaged buildings. He looked down below at Obi-wan and the rest of the men readying themselves to attack. Anakin braced himself and opened his senses to the Force. Quickly he used the light side to thread itself into their troops. Shortly after he fought his first few battles with the 501st, Anakin foud out that if he reached out to his men with the Force their own reflexes became heightened. The casualty rates showed that a quicker dodge or an increase in agility could save a lot of men on the battlefield. 

From behind him, he heard Captain Rex say, “What’s our plan of attack sir?”.

“Follow me”, is what he told them before flipping off the building onto a tall droid and ignited his blue lightsaber.

He looked behind him and saw that another droid had spotted him. It started to shoot blast after blast at him which he deflected with every stroke of his blade. He hopped down to one off the side bars surrounding the body of the droid. He managed to backflip off the droid and slashed it with his saber before deflecting a blaster shot into its body. He did that two more times before the droid fell and he launched himself at the next hulking droid. Smiling to himself, Anakin flipped backwards while cutting off the leg of the last giant droids and landed perfectly to cut a battle droid in half. He hurried back to Obi-wan’s side. 

“We’re gonna need reinforcements”, he yelled to Obi-wan, knowing that they weren’t going to last without them or without Anakin doing something reckless.

“We haven’t been able to get through to the Admiral”, Obi-wan answered back.

Anakin growled in frustration, the dark side echoing him in satisfaction. Then he was surprised to see the Separatist forces retreat.

“They’re pulling back”, he said.

The two Jedi looked up and saw that a Republic cruiser had made its way into the city.

Obi-wan turned to him with a relieved smile, “Looks like help has arrived”

R2 beeped his relief as well. Padme had gifted Anakin the small astromech at the beginning of the war. He was grateful to know that R2 was willing to go into battle with him and the two have grown closer throughout their adventures together. Anakin motioned for R2 to follow the two Jedi as they headed to meet the cruiser.

“Then it looks like our problems are solved. Fresh troops, new supplies, and perhaps they brought my new Padawan with them” 

That caught Anakin off guard. A padawan coming into this war straight from the temple wouldn’t be a good idea. Anakin becoming a commander at 19 was bad enough. He couldn’t imagine becoming one at a younger age.

“You really think it’s a good idea to bring a Padawan Learner into all this?”

“I spoke to Master Yoda about it. You should put in a request for one. You’d make a great teacher”

Anakin laughed at the idea of having a padawan, like the Council would trust Anakin with an impressionable young Jedi. 

“No thanks”

“Anakin, teaching is a privilege and it’s part of a Jedi’s responsibility to help train the next generation”

Anakin was amused at his former master’s insistence.

“A padawan would just slow me down”

Together Obi-wan and Anakin watched the ramp come down and saw a Togruta youngling walk off. Anakin was confused. What was a youngling doing here? And where were the supplies and their reinforcements?

“And who are you supposed to be?”

The youngling responded, “I’m Ahsoka. Master Yoda sent me. I was told to tell both of you that you must get back to the Jedi Temple immediately. There’s an emergency”

“Well, I don’t know if you noticed, but we’re in a bit of an emergency right here”

“Yes, our communications have been a bit unreliable but we’ve been calling for help”

The young Togruta’s inquisitive eyes traveled from Anakin to Obi-wan.

“Master Yoda hadn’t heard from you so he sent me to deliver the message”

Anakin gave a short sigh , “Oh great! They don’t even know we’re in trouble”

Ahsoka spoke up and offered them to use the signal from the cruiser to send a signal to Master Yoda. Anakin noted her quick thinking. She’ll need it to keep up with Obi-wan. He could feel the strong connection she had with the force around her and reached for it, curious to find out more about the youngling.

_ Child. Yours to protect. Child. Yours to care for. _

Then he heard echoes of other voices, including his own.

_ “You’re stuck with me Skyguy.” _

_ “I would never let anyone hurt you Ahsoka, Never!” _

_ “I won’t leave you! Not this time.” _

Anakin pulled back from the force in shock, heavily panting.

“I’m the new Padawan Learner. I’m Ahsoka Tano”

A picture of a grown Togruta wielding two white lightsabers flashed through Anakin’s mind.

“I’m Obi-wan Kenobi. Your new master”

Anakin bristled slightly at those words, knowing Ahsoka was supposed to be with him. Though the irritation slipped away at her next words.

“I’m at your service Master Kenobi but I’m afraid I’ve actually been assigned to Master Skywalker”

Anakin smiled at her and gave a small bow.

“In that case, it is a pleasure to meet you, my young padawan”

Anakin turned to Obi-wan and told him that he would be taking Ahsoka to check Rex’s status at the lookout post. He motioned for Ashoka to follow him and he started to give her advice and etiquette on how to be a good leader for the clones to follow.

“Captain Rex and the 501st have been by my side for a long time Ahsoka. The way we work so effectively on the field is because of the trust that we have managed to build together. Just because you’re a Jedi doesn’t mean that your word is final. These men are putting our lives on the line with us in every fight we go into so we have to make sure that we take care of them in return”

He looked to Ahsoka and met her determined gaze.

“I understand Master”

He tried not to wince at the title. Obi-wan explained the difference between the different meanings when Anakin was brought back to the temple which made Anakin feel better about calling Obi-wan by that title. Now having to be the one to bear the title was a different type of discomfort he had to go through. Dragging his mind back into the present he called out to Rex asking for any news that he had received.

“Quiet for now sir. They’re gearing up for another assault. Who’s the youngling?”

Before Anakin could explain, his padawan decided to introduce herself earning the Jedi a suspicious look from Rex.

“Sir I thought you said you’d never have a Padawan”

Anakin gave a small shrug and a slight grin.

“Oh you know Rex, things change and the Force just wills it to happen. Now how can I ignore the will of the force?” 

The young Knight turned to his Padwan and saw the beaming smile he received from the young Togruta before he felt a rush of a danger in the force. He looked out into the distance and saw the energy shield heading their way. 

“Rex, have the men ready to fight and get Obi-wan. We need a plan and fast”

*

“This is a stupid plan”, Ahsoka told him as they hid from the droid army under the cover of a box.

“Except for the fact that their deflective energy shield just passed over us. If you can’t cross their lines, let their lines cross you”, Anakin shot back.

Honestly while his plans seemed insane sometimes, Anakin knew what he was doing. Together the pair started to crawl through the enemy lines.At Ahsoka’s insistence they stood up from their position once they got far enough from the droids. Now Anakin and Ahsoka were making their way to the shield generator. 

“Stay close. We’ve gotta be careful”, he warned his padawan before she ran off. Anakin groaned realizing how much like him, Ahsoka was. Especially once she accidentally set off a trap revealing a bunch of droids. Cursing to himself, he told Ahsoka to set the charges as he dealt with the droids she just activated. By the time he finished those droids off, Ahsoka had managed to activate even more of them.

“Whose side are you on, anyway”, he yelled.

As he deflected the shots of the droids Anakin heard Ahsoka’s voice and looked behind him to see a wall with a large hole in the middle.He knew what Ahsoka was thinking and crouched down hoping that he wouldn’t get smashed. The ground trembled around him and he looked up to see his padawan coming toward him.

“Are you okay, Master?”, she asked him, her eyes anxiously looking over him for injuries.

“I’m fine Ahsoka. Did you get the charges set?”

She nodded and Anakin smiled at her eagerness, once again reminded of himself as a padawan.

“Then what are you waiting for?”, he teasingly said to her.

Ahsoka gave him an impish smile and hit the detonator, destroying the shield generator. As they watched the shield come down around them, Anakin’s attention soon turned to Ahsoka.

“You’re reckless, little one. You never would have made it as Obi-wan’s padawan but you might make it as mine. I feel like your chances with me are pretty good,Snips”

Anakin was confused at the nickname that fell out of his mouth but knew that it was right. This was Ahsoka, his Padawan, Snips. He saw Ahsoka’s surprise and was going to correct himself when she spoke up.

“Well good. Not like you were going to scare me off that easily. You’re stuck with me Skyguy”

Anakin rolled his eyes at the terrible nickname before noticing the Republic transport coming in to pick them up. Together the two boarded the transport, going back into the city. Anakin looked at Ahsoka once again and saw her figure glowing with wings of light before fading away once again. The words came to him once again.

_ Child. Guide her. Child. Protect her _

By the time he came back to himself they had arrived where Master Yoda and Obi-wan were. The two Council members in deep discussion with one another. Anakin and Ahsoka walked up to the two, bowing in greeting.

“Met your new Padawan, you have. Any difficulties, you have, young Skywalker?”, Master Yoda asked.

“No Master Yoda, while I acknowledge that she does have some challenges awaiting her, I believe that Ahsoka has the potential to be a great Jedi”, Anakin replied, offering a soft grin to his new apprentice. Master Yoda smiled and nodded in acceptance.

“Then go with you, she will, to the Teth system”

That seemed odd for them to be assigned to be out in the Teth system.

“Teth? That’s Wild Space. The droid army isn’t even in that sector”

“Kidnapped Jabba the Hutt’s son has been”

Anakin’s hands curled into tight fists.

“You want me to rescue Jabba’s son?”

Like Anakin would willingly let Ahsoka near those Hutt scum.

“Anakin, we’ll need the Hutts’ allegiance to give us an advantage over Dooku”, Obi-wan explained, eyes warily turning to meet his face.

Anakin crossed his arms and held his tongue, knowing that whatever he said would not change anything.

“Find the renegades that hold Jabba’s son, your mission will be, Skywalker”

“Come on, Master, it shouldn’t be that hard. I’ll find Rex and get the troops organized”, Ashoka said to Anakin before hurrying off, leaving Anakin to watch her leave with a solemn look.

“Don’t worry Anakin. Just teach her everything I taught you and she’ll turn out fine”

“Yes Master”, Anakin said, the words automatically coming to mind as he followed Ahsoka onto the transport she had gotten, bracing himself to face his past once again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating sooner! So here I offer the longest chapter I have written so far. We get to see Ahsoka for the first time and get some of that classic Snips and Skyguy action. Now again disclaimer that I do not own these characters or Star Wars in general. Hope you all enjoy this chapter!


	10. Beginning of the Trials

**_We do not need anyone. We can kill everyone who stands in the way of peace if you want to. We could make them bow to your desires just as you bowed to theirs_.**

The Darkness whispered promises of victory

Dooku beheaded.

Ventress, her body still in death.

Grievous, a burned husk of metal.

**_It will be better this way. You can protect the ones you love._ **

The scene changed and Anakin was engulfed in flames as he heard the voices of those he loved.

_ You’re going down a path I can’t follow. _

The agony in Padme’s voice was a wound on his heart.

_ I loved you _

He never heard that much grief in Obi-wan’s voice before.

Anakin could do nothing but weep as their voices spoke to him.

_The darkness lies Skywalker. It will only bring you pain. Do not follow this path._

He screamed and found himself back in his quarters on the _Resolute._ He exhaled shakily as he took in the meaning of his dreams and the voices he was heard. They were back and they have started speaking to him again.

Something has changed in the force, but what?

Anakin knew that he had to comm Obi-wan, yet he hesitated. How could he explain what he had seen? Instead Anakin grappled for the light inside of him to wash away the dark and found it through the new bond that connected him to Ahsoka. He felt her joy at Anakin’s acceptance of her and her glee that she was wanted as a student. Anakin used that to overpower the darkness and his mind became clearer.  Now he could focus on completing his mission, ignoring the caution of the Force warning him of what to come.

Anakin was now in the transport with his men and Ahsoka as they headed down to the monastery. The comm in the shuttle went off and Obi-wan’s cloaked figure appeared.

“Alright Anakin here’s the story. Jabba has given us only one planetary rotation to get his son back home to Tatooine safe and sound”

“Won’t take us that long, Master”

“Well, take extreme care. We have no idea who’s holding Jabba’s son. When I’ve finished negotiations with him, I will join you”

With those words, his image faded and Anakin relaxed, hoping that Obi-wan didn’t notice anything different about him.

He looked over to Ahsoka and instructed her to stay close to him when the shuttle jostled heavily as the droids tried to shoot them down. Anakin told the pilot to set the troops under the monastery and the shuttle began to descend. Anakin drew the force around him, readying himself to strike. As the red light filled the shuttle, the men talked to one another as they readied their weapon. He could sense his padawan was nervous despite the cheeky backtalk she had given Anakin earlier. He sent her comfort through the bond before the shield doors opened and they all leapt into the chaos.

Once they had reached the monastery all the battle droids were destroyed. Anakin took Ahsoka and Rex, along with a small squad to explore the monastery to look for the small Hutt. Once inside they came along a servant droid for the monastery who told Anakin the Hutt would be in the dungeons. He told Rex to keep watch while Anakin and Ahsoka went off to retrieve Jabba’s son. Now the two Jedi walked through the dungeons that were filled with hidden battle droids, waiting to catch the Jedi off guard.

“Master, you know you’re walking us into a trap?”

Anakin noted her remark, glad that her senses had picked up the battle droids.

“I know”, the young knight replied. 

“We just passed two more droids”

She was getting more specific, even more impressive.

“I know”, he repeated to her.

“Well I don’t like this. Can I just take care of them?”

Curious about observing her combat skills up close he decided to let her fight.

“Oh, well, if you feel so strongly about it, go ahead”

He turned around and saw her deflect the first blaster shot. Anakin noted her sure strokes that hinted at the beginning of learning Ataru. Seeing his padawan finish off the last droid Anakin knew that Ataru would suit her well and help her become a good fighter.

“Not bad. You remembered to destroy their weapons first”

“I’m improving your technique”, she cheekily replied.

Amused, Anakin ignited his saber and stabbed the droid that was hidden behind him.

“Of course, you did miss one”

“I did that on purpose”

As they reached the last door Anakin felt the presence of a life form in the cell. Using the Force he opened the door and was surprised to see a small baby Hutt. He didn't expect Jabba’s son to be that young.

“Oh, he’s just a baby. This will make our job a lot easier. Oh, he’s so cute”, Ahsoka cooed to the hutt.

Early memories of Gardulla whipping his mother came to his mind.

“Just wait until you see what he’ll grow into”

Soon Anakin and Ahsoka were back at the entrance of the monastery with Jabba’s son in tow, talking to Obi-wan.

“Anakin, did you locate Jabba’s son?”, Obi-wan asked.

“We have him, but it looks like the Separatists are behind this abduction. This smells like Count Dooku to me”, Anakin replied.

“I think it’s little Stinky you smell”, Ahsoka whispered to him, referring to the little Huttlet she was carrying in the backpack she had received. 

“I’ll bet Dooku is using us to get Jabba to join the Separatists”, Obi-wan theorized.

Not that Anakin would mind if he got to cut down some slavers along with the Separatists.

“Master Kenobi”, Ahsoka interrupted, “We have another problem. This Huttlet is very sick”

“I’m not sure we could get him back to Tatooine alive, Master. This whole rescue may backfire on us. I still don’t think that dealing with the Hutts is a good idea”, Anakin told Obi-wan.

“Anakin, you know they control shipping routes in the Outer Rim. Jabba’s cooperation is crucial to the war effort. If you let anything happen to his son, our chances of a treaty with him will disappear”

All Anakin could hear from that was the dismissal of hundreds of lives that would be ruined because the Jedi decided to look the other way on Tatooine like they always have.

“Master? We’ve got trouble!”, Ahsoka said, her eyes on the descending Separatists ships overhead.

“I’ll have to call you back, Master. We’re under attack. We could use a little help here if you have the time”, Anakin voiced to Obi-wan’s holoform.

“I’ll get there as soon as I can. Protect the Hutt, Anakin”, Obi-wan responded before the comm was disconnected.

As Anakin fought with the men to drive back the battle droids, they were forced to retreat behind the walls of the monastery, locking themselves inside. Anakin looked at the troops around them and noticed their low numbers with a painful realization. He knew those deaths would keep him up at night, knowing that he could have done more to keep them safe.

“Captain, we’ll stay here until General Kenobi arrives with reinforcements”Anakin told Rex

He turned around and saw Ahsoka’s frown of disapproval.

“What?”, he asked.

“Master, do you honestly think we can hold them off? We’ve got to find a way out of here”, she told him.

“Our mandate is to protect this Hutt, and that’s what we’re going to do Ahsoka”, Anakin explained but his padawan insisted.

“Our mandate was to get this Hutt back to Tatooine,and time is running out”

Anakin knew that she was right, but he didn’t like it. He wouldn’t leave the men to go looking for an imaginary transport off of Teth. He needed more.

“I suppose you have a plan”, he questioned.

He heard R2 enthusiastically volunteer his assistance.

“Yes, or I think so, R2 willing”, Ahsoka answered.

Anakin smiled, glad that his astromech was bonding so well with Ahsoka.

“Alright, Snips. I’ll trust you on this one. Captain, hold them here as long as you can”

Rex nodded in response before shouting out orders to the rest of the troops.

Soon Anakin and Ashoka had found an outlet for R2 to plug into.

“If there’s a way out of here, Artooie will find it”, Ahsoka proudly said.

R2 beeped his assurance to them in Binary.

Anakin looked towards Ahsoka and saw the Huttlet was sleeping.

“Finally asleep, huh? Put him down. Get some rest yourself. It’s been a long day for you, little one”

Ahsoka set the Hutt down and sat next to Anakin, staring down with a glum look down on her face.

“Was Rex telling the truth when he said you never wanted a padawan?”

Anakin set a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Ahsoka, it’s not that I don’t want you. I just don’t like the idea of raising you on a battlefield. These are dangerous time, young one”

“So you can’t send me back because you’ll feel guilty, is that it”, the young Togruta retorted.

Anakin sighed, wondering how he could find a way to ease Ahsoka’s mind. So he decided to borrow one of Obi-wan’s tricks and tell the truth, from a certain point of view.

“I had a vision of you as my Padawan and then of the Knight I know you will become. At that moment I knew that it is the force that has brought you to me and that I will be the one to guide you on your journey, young one”

She looked up at him in awe and smiled.

Guess Obi-wan was right in that Anakin would make a great teacher.

The walls began to rumble as explosions rocked the monastery. The two Jedi tensed and stood up in alarm.

“That sounded bad”, Anakin said.

R2 quickly called their attention before displaying a layout of the monastery where a highlighted area signaled their best location for an escape.

“A backdoor landing platform”

“We’ll call for a gunship when we get there. Lead the way, R2”

Anakin turned to grab Jabba’s son and saw that the backpack was tipped over, without the Hutt in it.

“Ahsoka, wait. Where’s Stinky?”, he asked.

“You told me to put him down!”, she argued.

“Find him”, Anakin firmly told her.

A soft gurgle came from under the seat where they were sitting before. Anakin looked where the sound was coming from and saw the squirming Hutt trying to crawl away from the two Jedi. Irritated, Anakin grabbed the end of their tail, dragging the Hutt out as they squealed in protest putting them back into the backpack. His comm began to ring as Rex’s voice came through.

“Anakin, come in”

“Anakin?’”, Ahsoka commented.

Anakin agreed with her remark. Ever since he was a padawan he’s been trying to get Rex to talk to him using only his first name. Rex had always argued against it, calling it unprofessional.

“We’ve held the droids, sir”, Rex continued to speak.

“That’s not like Rex”, Anakin mumbled.

He reached out into the force and found that Rex’s force presence was muddled. Horrified, he brushed against the captain’s mind and found traces of a dark side force user, one he had already met.

“Ventress”, he growled.

“Dooku’s assassin?”, Ahsoka asked.

“She’s here to kill the Hutt. Come on”, Anakin answered as the group began to move.

Soon they had reached the platform and Anakin reached for his comm to call for Obi-wan.

“Skywalker to Obi-wan. Mark my position. I need a medical ship immediately”

No response.

“Do you copy?”

Static was the only thing that came through.

“I can’t get ahold of Obi-wan. I’ll see if I can find Captain Rex”, Anakin said, “Captain Rex, respond”

“I read you, General. We’re pinned down in the courtyard”

“Do you need help?”, Anakin asked.

He heard the blaster fire in the background answer his question.

“I’ll take that as a yes, Captain. Stand by, we’re on our way. Skywalker, out”

He walked back toward the monastery, determined to help Rex and the rest of the men.

“Master, Stinky is really sick”, Ahsoka said, “He’s turning every shade of green except the one he’s supposed to be! Our mission was to get him back to Tatooine alive”

“Obi-wan will get her eventually”, Anakin assured her, “Right now we need Rex to help us find a ship”

Anakin heard rumbling behind him and turned to see two droidekas rolling towards them.

“Great, rolling death balls”, Ahsoka said.

Quickly Anakin and Ahsoka ignited their lightsabers and began deflecting the droids’ blaster shots.

“R2, the door”, Anakin shouted.

R2 beeped his affirmation and made his way to the door controls. From behind the droids, came Ventress who smiled at the two Jedi with cruel satisfaction. At least until R2 shut the door on her.Suddenly her red lightsabers pierced the door and began carving at a circle for her to break into.

“Now’s a good time for a retreat”, Anakin told Ahsoka.

“Retreat? That’s a new word for you”, his padawan responded.

Anakin looked over the edge of the platform and saw two spider droids shooting at them from below. As the blasts hit under the platform Anakin felt a flurry of multiple lifeforms underneath. Suddenly a large group of winged creatures flew out from under the platform. An idea came into Anakin’s mind and he reached out with the Force, connecting himself to one of the creatures. It came to flutter next to the platform, waiting expectantly.

“Get on Ahsoka. This is our ride out of here”, Anakin said.

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes and jumped onto the creature’s back with ease. A stray shot from the droids on the mountain spooked the winged creature, causing it to fly away from Anakin. The Jedi Knight looked behind him and saw that Ventress had finally managed to cut through the door. Anakin glared at the darkside assassin and ignited his lightsaber. The two began a familiar deadly rhythm.

Anakin’s blue lightsaber delivering bold, strong strokes while Ventress was striking back with speed and agility.

“Give me the Hutt, Skywalker and I may give you a swift death”, Ventress demanded.

Anakin reached out with the Force once more and he heard the buzzing of the creature as it flew into the platform, knocking Ventress away with its tail.

“Time to go R2”, Anakin shouted as he leapt onto the hovering creature,the small Hutt squealing on his back in protest.

“Master I found another platform with a ship on it”, Ahsoka told him.

Anakin smiled, sending pride through their bond.

“NIce work Snips”

The two jumped off when they reached the landing platform and were joined by R2 shortly after. Anakin looked at the ship that was on the platform and grimaced at the rickety ship that they would have to fly. Normally if he had found a ship like this he would've been ecstatic to take it back to the temple so that he could work on it. Considering he had to take it to Tatooine through hyperspace, he doubted the ship would hold itself together long enough to hit the surface.

“We’re taking this junker? We’d be better off on that big bug”, Ahsoka jokes.

“Get onboard and prime the engines. Assuming it has engines”, Anakin told his apprentice as he set the backpack down.He glanced over the small whining Hutt and could feel the exhaustion and discomfort they felt. Flashbacks from when Anakin had fallen ill during his years enslaved on Tatooine came back to him. He remembered the comfort his mother had given him to take away the pain coursing through his body. Her words rang clearly in Anakin’s mind.

“Ani, the biggest problem in this universe is that nobody helps each other. That is why we who have nothing have but one thing to give, our compassion. It is your greatest gift, my son, one that I trust you will give to all who need it” 

His mother was right. Through his years as a Jedi, Anakin had tried to forget his mother’s lessons to become a better Jedi and show that he had no attachments to his past life. He feels ashamed for not listening to them before he fell down the dark path. Instead what he should’ve done was to intertwine his mother’s teachings with the ones he learned from the Jedi. Anakin knows that would not make him a proper Jedi but it would make him the right Jedi. The kind of Jedi that he dreamed of when he was a child, one who would free the slaves and help all who are in need. Thinking of his mother’s light, Anakin put his hand on the small Hutt’s head and closed his eyes. He focused on the Force, gathering its abundant energy to heal the sick child. The shriek of a griffin was heard and Anakin opened his eyes and smiled at the Hutt that had just drifted off to sleep.

Blaster fire shots were fired from behind him and saw that Ahsoka had managed to hold her own against the few battle droids she had found. He sighed and looked at R2.

“She’s at it again. Let’s go”

Once Anakin and R2 had finally gotten the ship operational, Anakin directed the ship towards the monastery which was now lit up in various lights of blue and red blaster fire.

“Master Kenobi is here. Now we’ll see some real fireworks”

Ahsoka leaned closer to the edge of her seat, her voice vibrating in excitement.

“Excuse me? What do you call what I’ve been doing all day”, Anakin asked.

“I don’t know. The word reckless comes to mind”, she shot back with a teasing edge in her tone.

“Very funny Snips. Back to work. The troops still need our help. Charge the main guns”

“How are we gonna help? Stinky is getting sicker and…”

Ahsoka trailed off at the end of her sentence. 

“Stinky’s fever is gone. How did that happen?”

Anakin shrugged and concentrated on the controls for the guns.

“That’s good, now we can focus on helping Rex”, he said

He could feel Ahsoka’s eyes staring at him and tried not to react to her suspicious glare.

“Well, we wouldn’t want to let them have all the fun but we would have to take this ship straight into hyperspace right away to deliver Jabba’s son by the deadline”

Anakin saw Ahsoka’s small grin and nodded to her before calling Rex.

“Captain Rex, this is General Skywalker. Hope you left some droids for us”

“R2, do you have those guns ready?”, Ahsoka asked.

The astromech beeped in confirmation.

Anakin flew the ship above the monastery and saw the clones fighting off the droids trying to blast their way past the makeshift barricade the clones had created. Anakin pushed the trigger and fired blast after blast at the droids. 

“Thanks General. I knew you couldn’t resist a good firefight”, Rex said.

“You know me, Rex. We have Jabba’s son and we’re setting off to head for hyperspace” Anakin responded.

“Copy that General”

“How’s that for fireworks, Snips?”, Anakin turned to her with a knowing smirk, receiving an eye roll in return.

“Let’s just get going to hyperspace, Skyguy. The hard part is over now”

After decimating the Separatists forces greatly, Anakin directed the ship away from the ongoing battle and into orbit for hyperspace. 

“We’re clear to make the jump to hyperspace. R2, program the navicomputer and let’s go”

The world around them shifted and the ship was launched into hyperspace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the story continues! Thank you all for reading my work! I have so much in store for this series! Please comment and let me know your thoughts or you can find me on tumblr as chocolatecrowncreator.


	11. Returning Home

“You think Rex and Master Obi-Wan made it out okay”, Ahsoka asked.

“If I know my old master, he has things well in hand”, Anakin said. The Jedi Knight was focused on the current repairs he was making to the ship, “Now help me with this. I want the primary systems fully repaired by the time we reach Tatooine”

“You grew up on Tatooine, right? So, for you, this trip is like going home”, Ahsoka remarked.

“Yeah, home”

Anakin gazed into the depths of hyperspace and thought of his mother’s gravestone buried in the sands of Tatooine.

When they exited hyperspace, Anakin saw the familiar sight of the twin sons and his home planet.

“I never thought I’d come back to Tatooine again”, Anakin told Ahsoka.

“Okay. What happened”, she asked.

Anakin paused then sighed. He hated seeing the pity in the eyes of everyone who knew the truth. He freed himself by winning the Boonta Eve Classic and he was no longer a slave, no longer someone’s property.

“It’s complicated”, he responded, “How’s Stinky holding up?”

“He seems to be doing better. I still don’t know what made his fever disappear but you have to admit, Master, he’s cute when he’s asleep”, Ahsoka said.

“I admit I like him better when he’s quiet, but only a little”, Anakin teased.

R2 called for his attention, telling him that the astromech was ready to start on the rear deflector shields.

“Sure, R2. Get the rear deflector shield on first. Then we can focus on the cannons, I have a feeling we’re going to need them”, Anakin told R2.

It was only moments later that the alarm sounded.

“Attack ships closing!”, Ahsoka warned

“Somebody doesn’t want Stinky to get home in one piece”, Anakin said.

The ship jostled lightly as the rear deflector shields held in defense against enemy fire.

“Set the approach vector and make ready to land R2! Ahsoka, activate the guns!”, Anakin yelled as he pushed the ship faster.

“All the guns are locked in the forward position,” Ahsoka said, “At least the rear deflector shields are up or we’d be in real trouble right now” 

“R2, see if you can unlock those guns! Ahsoka, go secure Jabba’s son!”, Anakin ordered.

“None of us are secure with you flying”, Ahsoka shot back at him.

“Hang on back there!”, Anakin warned before he pulled the ship up, making various dips and turns to evade the enemy.

He groaned when he heard the Hutt wake up as it began to cry.

“Great! You woke the baby”, he heard his Padawan shout.

“I’m a little busy here”, he told her as he focused on the ship heading towards them. His thumb hovered over the trigger momentarily before firing and hitting Anakin’s target, destroying the ship entirely.

“Got one”

“What about the other one?”, Ahsoka asked.

“One thing at a time”, Anakin yelled, “R2, time to turn those guns around”.

R2 beeped his affirmation as the ship suddenly lurched forward.

“They shot the rear deflector shields”, Ahsoka yelled.

“Get him, R2!”

With a few shots R2 destroyed the last ship.

“Good shot, buddy. You’ve been holding out on me”, Anakin congratulated as he continued the ship’s descent towards Tatooine. He pressed the holocom to contact Obi-Wan.

“Obi-Wan, come in! Do you copy?”

His master’s figure fizzled into existence.

“Kenobi, here. Anakin, have you reached Tatooine yet?”

“Almost Master, but we ran into some trouble. I sense that danger awaits us on Tatooine”, Anakin said.

“Well be careful. I’m still cleaning up your other mess, but I’ll get there”, Obi-Wan told him before the call ended.

“So much for reinforcements”, Anakin grumbled as they entered Tatooine’s atmosphere. 

The young Knight maneuvered the ship to land on the edge of the Dune Sea. Anakin and Ahsoka walked out of the ship into the harsh rays of the dual sons. R2 whined in protest at his place at the beginning of the landing ramp. Anakin could sympathize with the astromech’s reluctance.

“Oh, Artooie, it’s just endless tracts of gritty, abrasive sand. I’ll clean your servos later. Come on”, Ahsoka reassured the astromech.

Anakin chuckled at the grumbles he heard from R2 as he pushed himself onto the sand.

“Jabba’s palace is not too far from here. We should be able to make it by morning if we hurry”, Anakin said.

The twin sons of Tatooine blazed on as Anakin, Ahsoka, and R2 made their way through the desert. Anakin’s mind couldn’t help but wander to memories long forgotten; the bright tone of Kitser’s laughter, the hum of a podracer, the sweet song that his mother sang to him as a child. Anakin knew that by securing a treaty with Jabba, he wouldn’t be able to challenge the Hutt’s rule directly. By doing so he would cost the Republic the Outer Rim hyperspace lanes. That doesn’t mean he couldn’t make trouble for them either. 

He still remembered his mother helping others escape into the desert. He remembered building a scanner to find the slave chip within the body until he learned how to disable implanted chips with the Force after a run-in with pirates as a padawan. Anakin was sure that he could help others who were enslaved and if they managed to take that old space freighter off his hands, well Obi-Wan couldn’t be mad at him about it.

“Master Yoda has a saying. ‘Old sins cast long shadows.’ Do you know what he means by that”, Ahsoka asked.

Anakin knew he had to give Ahsoka an answer, her prodding wouldn’t stop until she got one.

“He means your past can ruin your future if you allow it but as I told you before, it’s complicated”

“Okay, fine. There is so much more we can talk about out here. Like the sand”

“The desert is merciless, little one. There are far more dangerous things here then what we can see”

Anakin did not survive his years of enslavement on Tatooine by being ignorant. His mother had instilled many warnings in him as a child and he had learned as much from others in the Slave Quarters of Mos Espa.

“That’s a happy thought. We’ll keep an eye out for trouble, Master. Right, Artooie”

R2 beeped in agreement as they continued to make their way to Jabba’s palace.

As the twin suns began to set, the two Jedi stopped sensing a disturbance in the force.

“We’re not alone”, Ahsoka warned her Master.

“I sense it, too. It’s the Dark Side of the Force”, Anakin told her as he listened to the Force around him and its warnings of what was to come, “Whatever it is it’s coming for the Hutt. Time to split up”

“We’ll face it together, Master”, Ahsoka argued.

“Not this time, Snips. I have a far more important mission for you”, Anakin said. 

“More important than keeping you alive”, the young Padawan challenged.

“Ahsoka, I need you to trust me on this one”, he firmly told her.

Anakin could feel the agitation building inside him and knew that his fight with Dooku would be end in violence. He needed Ahsoka away from there and away from him.


	12. The Moon Holds Many Secrets

It didn’t take long for the Count to find Anakin. The young Knight was eager to face him and ignited his blade. He was not the same Padawan that had lost his arm at the Battle of Geonosis. This was Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight.

As Dooku stepped off his speeder, the Count delivered an ultimatum.

“Surrender the Huttlet or die, Skywalker”

The Dark Side surged in the Sith as he released a powerful blast of lightning toward Anakin. The Jedi used his lightsaber to absorb it as Dooku brought out his crimson sword. The two surged toward each other in a storm of light and dark. Their blades connected as Anakin deflected a strong attack from Dooku.

“Your training has come a long way, boy”, Dooku sneered as his yellow eyes burned in the moonlight.

Anakin pushed back against the Sith and began a flurry of attacks, the power of the Force coursing through his body. When the two separated again, Dooku’s eyes glinted with a malignant edge.

“Ah, now I remember. This was your home planet, wasn’t it? I sense your strong feelings. Feelings of pain, loss”

The Dark beast roared for retribution.

Anakin ignored it and focused on the world around him. The early lessons of Master Qui Gon came back to him.

_ “Concentrate on the moment. Feel, don’t think. Use your instincts” _

Anakin’s heels dug into the sand and he knew. 

_ “Sandstorms are very dangerous” _

Before Dooku could strike, Anakin thrusted his hand out and the desert followed the Knight’s movement throwing the Sith back. The count braced himself against the desert and used the Force to deflect the wind against Anakin. The child of the Force called on the protection of Morai and white light formed a shield around them, unyielding against the Sith’s attack. When the light died, Anakin saw Dooku’s frightened eyes before the older man brought his blade down. Anakin managed to push Dooku back and turn before the Count swung at his back, cutting into the backpack,sending Anakin tumbling into the sand. 

“You’ve failed, Jedi. I have just killed Jabba’s son”, Dooku said, a cruel smile on his lips.

Anakin couldn’t help but respond with a smirk of his own.

“You’ve fallen for my little trick Count”, the Jedi revealed the rocks that he had put to trick the Count that Anakin had the Hutt, “It’s nothing but rocks”.

The flash of anger in Dooku’s eyes was satisfying to watch.

“The Huttlet is with my Padawan, safely at Jabba’s palace”

“I expected such treachery from a Jedi. I assure you my web is strong enough to catch your insignificant little Padawan”, the ex-Jedi responded.

“She’s more skillful than you think”, Anakin told him, confident in the strength and determination of his Padawan.

“You deceive yourself”, Dooku shouted and their blades crossed once again.

With a heavy push Dooku managed to knock Anakin off his feet and with a flourish brought out his holocom.

“Look, I have a message from your Padawan”

Ahsoka’s figure blinked onto the communicator, her lightsaber lit in a defensive position.

Anakin yelled and lunged at Dooku with his bare hands.

A shadowed claw scraped across the Sith’s face, sending the Count back. Dooku groaned, his hands gingerly clutching his face, splattered in blood.

Anakin backed away from the Count in horror. His gaze fell to the holocom and saw Ahsoka facing off against multiple Magna Guards. His Padawan was knocked out of view as she screamed in fear and Anakin’s heart sunk.

Dooku lifted his head out of his bloodied hands and met Anakin’s eyes. Three claw marks now marred the Count’s face, forever scarred by the Dark.

“After my droids kill Jabba’s son, they will deliver your Padawan to him for punishment for the Huttlet’s murder. I can’t imagine he will be merciful”

Anakin remembered tales of the Sarlacc Pit he heard as a child. It was Jabba’s favorite punishment for slaves who had displeased him. That was if Jabba didn’t force Ahsoka into chains first. 

Anakin leapt to the speeder and took off into the sand. 

When the Jedi arrived at Jabba’s palace he was greeted by a protocol droid along with a group of bounty hunters who escorted him inside.

“This is Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker”, the protocol droid said, “As Count Dooku said, your son is not with him”

“What? Your son’s not here”, Anakin exclaimed.

Jabba yelled at the Jedi as Anakin reached out to Ahsoka through their bond and felt her exertion that came only through combat. Ahsoka was probably finishing off those Magna Guards, Dooku sent after her. 

“It is clear you came here to kill Jabba”, the protocol droid told Anakin.

Where did that idea come from? Before the war, Anakin would have happily struck Jabba this second. But what good would that do?The slaves wouldn’t be free just because he killed Jabba. They would still have the chip and probably be carted off who knows where. 

Jabba roared again.

“You came here to die”, the protocol droid translated.

“Stop”, Ahsoka shouted.

Anakin turned to see his young Padawan, hunched over in exhaustion as she brought the small Huttlet to its father. Jabba took his son into his arms and gestured angrily at the Jedi.

“You are to be executed immediately”

Anakin and Ahsoka lit up their lightsabers, preparing for another fight.

Thank the Force for Padme Amidala.

There she was, perfectly poised, with a blaster on her hip. Anakin listened as Padme revealed that Ziro the Hutt was responsible for helping Dooku kidnap Jabba’s son. Of course, Padme was able to cleverly persuade Jabba into a treaty with the Republic and save Anakin’s and Ahsoka’s life. Seeing her conversation with Jabba finish, Anakin had to speak to her.

“Senator, you have my undying gratitude”

“No, Master Skywalker, it is I, and the Republic, who owes you thanks”

The two locked eyes, conveying the love they had for one another in no words. Words that could not be sad except in the darkness of secrecy and intimacy. Even though words could not be enough to tell one another what they felt.

*

Rayna had only heard tales of the Jedi, she never thought she would ever meet one. He had entered the safe room with Kitster, cloaked with a hood over his face. Kitster had told everyone that the Jedi was going to remove their chips and help them travel off planet. Aiman had crawled into her arms, unsure of the hooded Jedi. Reyna watched them go to each one of the others who had dared to seek freedom like she had. They would raise a gloved hand and place it on the forehead of one of Reyna’s companions, then within a few minutes move on to the person.

Rayna did not understand, what magic did the Jedi have to remove their chip without surgery? The Jedi came before Rayna and her sister, Aiman. They kneeled down yet Rayna still could not see their face. Aiman looked up at the Jedi as she reached for his hand. Rayna held her breath, unsure whether the Jedi would welcome her sister’s childlike curiosity. The hooded Jedi froze at Aiman’s gesture, before chuckling warmly and removing his hood. 

Rayna did not believe he was a Jedi at first. Her first thought was that he was too young to be a Jedi. Too young and too pretty. His face was filled with all the delicate shades and lines of beauty and youth. Then she saw his eyes. One bore a scar that both harshened yet accentuated his beauty. Yet in both she recognized herself. 

The Jedi allowed Aiman to grab his hand, watching as the child studied the black glove with her hands, prodding it occasionally. 

“It feels different”, Aiman said, frowning in confusion.

The Jedi laughed and reached for his glove, peeling back the black leather to reveal metal connecting to the skin. Once the glove was entirely, Rayna could see that half of the Jedi’s arm had been lost and then replaced by a metal replica. Rayna did not know much about mechanics but even she could admire its design. 

Before Aiman could examine it further, the Jedi spoke to her, “I’m going to destroy the chip in your body. It’s going to hurt a little and then after it will be gone, okay?”.

Rayna took her sister’s hand and wrapped her arms around Aiman’s small body. Aiman was small for her age as is common for enslaved children. Her ribs can be felt through her clothes and she tired easily. Only four months ago, Aiman was on her deathbed after contracting an illness. Rayna kneeled before her sister’s bed and begged her ancestors to let Aiman live. Graciously they allowed Aiman to get better and Rayna decided to take her sister and run. It was a miracle their master didn’t kill Aiman for her sickness but what would happen if she grew ill again or if they were sold separately.

Dragging herself out of her thoughts, Rayna looked at the Jedi who had covered his metal arm once again. He placed a hand on Aiman’s head and closed his eyes. Aiman simply gave a small gasp and froze. Rayna hugged her sister tighter and whispered words of comfort. Minutes later Aiman relaxed, leaning into her sister’s body with a soft yawn. Rayna looked towards the Jedi, hope swelling in her heart.

“Is it done”, she asked him. 

The Jedi opened his eyes and offered her a soft smile. Rayna gave a shuddered sigh and kissed Aiman’s forehead and whispered a thanks to the ancestors.

“Now it is your turn to break your chain”, the Jedi told her.

Rayna was confused and the Jedi said, “You will know what to do”, before laying his palm on her forehead.

The heat was unbearable, threatening to consume her but Rayna resisted. Her skin was sensitive to the light swarming around her. It was searching for something, something that did not belong. Rayna thought back to the scar on her hip and the light curled around her in approval. It tightened around her hip and Rayna felt a sharp burn sear the skin before opening her eyes. 

The Jedi and Kitster lead them into the desert when the Jedi was finished with everyone. Rayna ran with Aiman in her arms, watching the Jedi closely. He moved quietly through the night, eyes always watching the distance, with clouded eyes looking for nonexistent shadows in the desert. Soon they came across what seemed to be the Jedi’s ship. It was old and looked like a common ship for a smuggler. Though that was probably what will make it easier to smuggle them to freedom. Once inside, Rayna and Aiman settled themselves into a corner of the ship which soon rumbled as they felt the ship take off.

Kitster came up to the two girls and told them, “You should sleep now, we should be reaching our destination soon. The Jedi has a contact waiting for us in a nearby system”

For the next few hours the two sisters blinked in and out of sleep multiple times. Rayna’s eyes refusing to close, unsure if this day was unreal and she would wake up back on Tatooine. Soon the ship came to a stop and Rayna hugged Aiman closer to her chest when the door opened and Kitster came into the room.

“Follow me, we have docked onto the transport”

Rayna took Aiman into her arms once again and joined the others through the ship to the airlock. She stepped through the opening and saw the Jedi in deep conversation with a young woman. They seemed to know each other well, from what Rayna could tell. The Jedi looked over to her and his eyes softened as his gaze fell on Aiman who was still dozing in her arms. He made his way to the crowd with the young woman.

“This is Sabé, she’ll be helping all of you get settled on the planet of Naboo”, the Jedi told her as the woman named Sabé stepped forward. 

“Come this way, we’ll be able to give you some food before we arrive on Naboo”, she told Rayna as she began to lead the others down the hallway. 

Rayna followed the group but stopped and turned to the Jedi before she passed him.

“Thank you for helping us. I never thought that I would ever meet a Jedi. You have given Aiman and I many gifts”, Rayna uttered to the Jedi, voice unsteady.

The Jedi shook his head and said, “I did not give you anything. I only guided you on your way”

“No”, Rayna refused, “you have given us something that I thought was lost forever, hope”

The Jedi’s eyes widened and shifted through the emotions of disbelief, sadness, and regret before settling into soft contentment. The Jedi then bowed to her and Rayna was shocked.

“I wish you and your sister well on your journey forward”, he told her.

“What do I now”, she whispered and the Jedi met her eyes.

“Be brave and don’t look back”, his eyes were clouded once more, looking into the distance as if seeing something else beside her.

Rayna then gathered her courage and made her way down the hall, choosing to follow the call to freedom.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I think this is my favorite chapter that I have written so far. I am so glad that so many people are enjoying this and I can't wait to continue. Again I love reading the feedback I get from comments and I thank you all for the support!


	13. Old Friends Reunited

Anakin's eyes fell onto the Nubian transport before heading into hyperspace, back to Tatooine. 

Suddenly Anakin couldn’t help it but he laughed. 

He laughed that he had done it. He had helped others like him escape from Tatooine. 

He laughed because he had found his childhood friend, Kitster. 

He laughed because he was finally able to help people again after months of fighting. 

Then the laughter died and he began to cry. 

He cried for the child that he helped who would now have a chance to grow and go to school. 

He cried for her sister, whose eyes reminded him of his mother.

He cried because he knew his mother would have loved to know that Anakin was fulfilling one of his childhood dreams.

Soon the tears dried and Anakin was left empty, staring into the light of hyperspace.

“It feels overwhelming at first doesn’t it?”

Anakin turned and saw Kitster leaning against the copilot seat. 

“The first time I helped others escape offplanet I went out into the desert and screamed for hours. It was just so much, the joy, the fear, the anger”

Anakin knew what that felt like. 

“Well I know what it's like to lose to the anger. I’ve only been back to Tatooine once before and it changed me. I did something that I am not proud of and I regret all the pain I caused, but when I was helping these people, I realized that I have always hung onto my past in a negative way. I was too focused on the anger I felt towards slavery that it threatened to consume me”

“I remember all the fights I had to drag you out of when we were kids, that’s for sure”, Kitster jokingly said, earning an eye roll from Anakin. 

“So tell me how Jedi training was? Did you learn all about their Jedi mind tricks? Or is that supposed to be a Jedi secret”, Kitster asked, taking his seat as copilot.

“Oh you know fighting bounty hunters here and there, dodging the occasional assassin, protecting a few Senators sometimes. Other than that I’m quite bored in the Temple”, Anakin nonchalantly said, fighting the teasing smirk he wanted to give to the other man.

Kitster raised an eyebrow at him, unamused by Anakin’s antics.

“Well that and being a war general, I agree, you must be bored out of your mind”, Kitster responded.

Anakin couldn’t keep it in anymore and he let out a laugh with Kitster following shortly after.

“Seriously Ani, what have you been doing? News travel fast on Tatooine you know that, so when I heard rumours about a Jedi named Skywalker who had taken Jabba’s son-”, 

“Eh, it was Count Dooku who took Jabba’s son, not me”, Anakin interrupted, “I rescued him along with my Padawan and we risked our lives to bring him back, and were almost killed for doing it. Kriffing Jabba, man”.

Kitster only chuckled at Anakin’s irritation, “I don’t know how you do it Ani”. 

Soon Tatooine was in their sights again and Anakin was able to dock in Mos Espa. As Kitster and Anakin reached the end of the ramp, Kitster turned to Anakin.

“Well I guess this is where we say our goodbyes”, Kitster offered a dim smile. 

“Come on Kitster, you act as if I haven’t already planned for this”, Anakin said.

His friend’s eyes narrowed.

“What do you mean?”, he asked.

“Well since you and Sabé are going to be working together on helping other slaves escape, she thought that you needed this to contact her”, Anakin explained as he held out a holocom to Kitster.

Kitster’s eyes widened as he picked up the holocom.

“Of course I programmed my personal comm number in there too, just in case you needed help or just wanted to talk”, Anakin’s voice softened toward the end, waiting for Kitster’s response.

He was happy when his friend’s face broke into a smile and was surprised when dragged into a strong hug. Slowly Anakin returned the hug, fighting the urge to cry and relished in the company of his oldest friend. 


	14. Traces of Care

Obi-Wan sensed Anakin coming up to his door. The Jedi Master set the two cups of tea he had just made aside.

“Come in Anakin”, he said.

The door opened and the first thing he noticed was Anakin’s red-rimmed eyes.

“What happened? Anakin, are you hurt”

He looked at Obi-wan with tears in his eyes and smiled.

“No Master. I’m okay.I feel better than I have been for a long time”

Obi-Wan could sympathize with that. Ever since the war started, Obi-wan could see the changes in Anakin as well as the other Jedi around him because of the continued violence of the war. With every man that died in battle and every civilian that got caught in the crossfire, a heavy emotional burden has begun to weigh on the Jedi.

Curious, Obi-Wan reached through the bond. He found exhaustion, lingering happiness and to his surprise, peace. Throughout his years at the Temple, Anakin had always struggled with finding peace within himself, whatever peace he could find was always fleeting. Now knowing the worst parts of Anakin’s past with being enslaved, Obi-Wan knew that his struggle stemmed from the worry of his mother and from trying to overcome the lasting effects that had on the man.

“I went back to Mos Espa. I don’t know why, maybe I just wanted to try to remember my mother the way that I remembered her. I wanted to remember how she used to sing to me when I was sick. I wanted to remember her smile and how it felt when she hugged me”

Obi-Wan never knew who his parents were. He had been retrieved by the Jedi when he was just a baby. To him, the Jedi were always his family. If he was being honest with himself, Qui Gon was the closest thing he had to a parent in the Jedi Order, yet he still understood. The first few years after his master’s death, Obi-Wan spent most of his time in meditation. In those moments Obi-Wan was focusing on letting go, letting go of the hate that he felt when he fought the Sith, the pain he felt when Qui Gon was killed.

“And did you”, Obi-Wan asked as the two settled on Obi-Wan’s bed.

“No, not there. Not until I came across an old friend, Kitster lived in the Slave Quarters of Mos Espa near my mother and I. Now he’s free and works as a bartender in a cantina”

“Smart man, working in a cantina, one can always find information at a cantina”

“Including where to hide runaway slaves”

Of course Anakin would think of that. Obi-Wan always suspected since whenever the two were sent on a mission regarding slavery, Anakin would dissapear for one night into the city.He would lie horribly about finding podracing scenes the next day but Obi-Wan never objected to the deception.

“I know I’m not supposed to be involved Master, especially since we just secured the treaty but I just couldn’t step back and-”

“I didn’t expect you to, dear one. I would never ask you to do that”

Anakin looked down.

“I know you wouldn’t. I just couldn’t bear it if I dragged you into a mess that I made and-”

“Padawan when are you going to realize that I will always stand by you”

Anakin blushed

“Not your Padawan anymore”, he mumbled.

“Yet my position on this matter will not change. I told you at the start of the war that we had to trust each other, did I not?”

“Yes Master”

“Never doubt my faith in you Anakin”

Anakin sighed and looked at Obi-Wan softly before shifting to a mischievous smile.

“You always know what to say, Master. I could see why the Holonet is crazy over  _ The Negotiator” _

Obi-Wan groaned in embarrassment. How he hated the fascination that the Holonet had brought upon them.

“Come on Obi-Wan, I don’t think it’s that bad”

“And what about you, oh mighty Hero with No Fear”, Obi-Wan shot back.

Anakin’s smile withered and Obi-Wan wished he could take it back.

“That’s the biggest lie I ever heard. I fear that I’m going to get Rex and all of my men killed. I’m afraid that when we’re separated I’ll never see you again. I’m worried that I’ll never see Padme again and now I’m afraid that I won’t be able to keep Ahsoka safe especially since I have to keep a part of myself safe from her. What if she finds out and decides that she doesn’t want me as her master anymore”

A single tear slips down Anakin’s cheek and he whispers, “What if she sees me and thinks I’m a monster”.

Obi-Wan couldn’t help bringing Anakin into his arms, holding the younger man tightly against his chest. Anakin clinged to him, burying his face into Obi-Wan’s neck. The two stayed like this for a while. Obi-Wan was willing to stay like this all night if necessary just to make sure that Anakin got the comfort that he needed.

With a soft sigh Anakin straightened up and his gaze centered on Obi-Wan. 

“Thank you Master, for everything”

Obi-Wan couldn’t breathe. One of the first things Obi-Wan learned about Anakin was his ability to love. It was moments like this where Anakin would stare at Obi-Wan with those intense blue eyes, looking at him as if he hung the moon. Oddly enough it reminded Obi-Wan of the way Anakin looked at Padme. Tearing himself away from that thought, Obi-Wan switched the conversation.

“I heard from Ahsoka that you faced Dooku. How did that go?”

Anakin gave a smug smirk.

“I managed to give the old count a good fight”, Anakin then turned sheepish, “Although I think he saw me, truly saw me”

Well that wasn’t good for them at all.

“Anakin”, Obi-Wan was about to give the man the lecture of his life.

“I acted on instinct Master”, Anakin insisted, “Dooku told me that Ahsoka was in trouble and I reacted”

Obi-Wan tiredly rubbed his eyes.

“Was there anything else that happened?”

“Um, yeah. The next time you see him, he might have three claw marks on his face just to let you know”

Obi-Wan sighed, “Very well, if that is it then good night Anakin. It’s getting late”

“Can I stay with you Master? Please, just for the night”

Anakin’s eyes pleaded with Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan could never deny Anakin and so the two slept that night with Anakin’s golden halo splayed onto the pillow, Obi-Wan plastered on his back curling protectively around Anakin’s body, and their hands intertwined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait I just started school so the updates might take longer but I hope I could at least keep to a schedule of posting once a week. Hopefully you all enjoy this chapter!


	15. Mind of a Child

“You wanted to talk to me Master”, Ahsoka said as she walked into Master Skywalker’s quarters. She frowned, seeing that he wasn’t there.

Curiously she looked around, noting every detail she found, trying to piece together all the new things she knows about her Master.

Ahsoka saw a desk scattered with mechanical parts, above it a wall decorated with pod racing posters. That would explain her Master’s flying style.

“Are you done snooping?”

She turned and her Master was there watching her in amusement.

“Sorry”, she told him, “I was just waiting for you and-”

“You got curious. I know Ahsoka, that’s why I wanted to meet with you”

Her Master walked over to one of the couches and sat down patting the space next to him.

“What did you know about me before Master Yoda said that you would be my Padawan?”

Ahsoka sat down and thought of the whispers she would hear from the initiates.

“Well I know that you came to the temple late from Tatooine, that you’re really powerful, and that you fought Count Dooku at Geonosis before the war broke out”

Her Master let out a hollow laugh.

“That’s it. Well I guess you could’ve heard worse”

“What do you mean?”

He gave her a pained smile.

“Tatooine is my home planet. It was where I was raised by my mother but it is a place that carries much pain for me”

The softness of his voice when speaking of his mother surprised Ahsoka. She had been brought to the temple by Master Plo when she was very young and it was the Jedi in the temple who helped raise her. The idea of a mother seemed so foreign to her and yet she couldn’t ignore the deep emotion that came from her Master.

“My mother and I were slaves of Gardulla the Hutt until I was three and we were sold again. I don’t remember much of that time but years later my mother still wore the scars from Gardulla’s whip her entire life”

Ahsoka didn’t know what to say. Trying to picture her Master, no Anakin, as a child in slavery was painful for her to think about and yet it explained so much.

“Gardulla lost us in a bet to a Toydarian and he became our new owner. He ran a junk shop in Mos Espa which I was made to work in. That was where I was found by the Jedi”

“Would you rather have me call you something else? I don’t want to call you something that means something negative for you?”, she asked.

Anakin’s eyes widened as he whispered, “You would do that?”

“Of course I would”, Ahsoka insisted, “If it makes you uncomfortable why would I keep calling you that”

He looked down at his hands pulling at his gloves.

“Teacher, for when it’s just us and I guess with Obi-Wan too. He might find it odd but he’ll understand”, he said.

“Because he was the one who found you right?”, Ahsoka asked.

Her Teacher gave a small smile.

“No, it was Obi-Wan’s Teacher who found me. His name was Qui Gon Jinn. It was Qui Gon who helped me win my freedom and took me to the Jedi Temple. He said that he would train me but then the Sith on Naboo killed him and Obi-wan and I were left with no one but each other”

That part of the story Ahsoka was familiar with, all around the Temple everyone knew who Obi-Wan Kenobi was after Naboo. The name  _ Sith Killer _ was often whispered between the younglings in the hallways of the Temple.

“It must have been hard, getting used to the Temple after leaving Tatooine”, Ahsoka said.

“There were some days that were harder than others. I had to learn how to read Basic, catch up on my Galactic history, and learn basic force techniques that younglings already knew but we made it work. Obi-Wan was patient with me through everything”

Ahsoka grinned, “Sounds like even back then the two of you were a good team".

"I didn’t really have any friends with people my age when I came to the temple. They could tell that I wasn’t normal” 

Ahsoka was confused, “What do you mean?”.

Her Teacher gave a heavy sigh, “I’m not normal Ahsoka. I’ve always known I wasn’t, even as a child. Do you know how children are made?”

Ahsoka had no idea where this conversation was going. Was her Master going to give her “The Talk”?

“Yeah I know Teacher. Don’t worry I learned about that when taking Biology last year”

Her Teacher said, “Well good. So, I wasn’t born like that. The Force created me and my mother became pregnant without doing any of that, physical interaction”

How was Ahsoka supposed to react to that?

“Just like that? You were just created into existence?”

“Pretty much. That’s why my midi-chlorian count is so high. It’s why I’m so powerful and when I was brought to the temple I didn’t have the control that the Jedi wanted. There were instances where I got angry and just lashed out with the Force. Some of the kids my age saw what I was and got scared. They called me a freak behind my back and I hated it. So I sealed that part of myself away”

What was a normal response to that? Ahsoka had no answer to that. There was no logical response to those words. All she wanted to do was to chase after those bullies who hurt her Teacher and then give the man a hug. A thought then crossed Ahsoka’s mind.

“Can I see? Is that okay?”

“NO!”

Her Teacher scrambled away from her onto the floor crawling his way towards the corner.

“Teacher wait”

“You can't see. No one else can see. Don’t let them see”, she heard her Teacher mumbled as Ahsoka’s heart ached for Anakin.

“It’s okay if you don’t let me Teacher but I want you to know that I’m not afraid of you and nothing could ever make me change my mind”

Her Teacher only became more hysterical. HIs body began to dissipate, changing every few seconds. His body would become wispy as black smoke before becoming a vessel of light that hurt to stare at. She could hear him apologizing to her softly while simultaneously screaming at her to leave. Her senses were overwhelmed, especially her smell which caught two distinct scents, one that she recognized from the Temple gardens, a Nubian Bellflower. The other was the acrid scent of ash and fire. It was clogging her airway and she started coughing. She tried to breathe, but it was impossible. Then it was gone and she found herself settled onto her Teacher’s lap. She looked up and saw his bright blue eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“Why didn’t you stop me? Why didn’t you run?”, he asked Ahsoka.

“Like I said I won’t leave you”

And the tears began to fall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my favorite headcanons is that Obi-Wan taught Anakin to read and I will stand by that! Anyway this chapter was important to me because I feel that Anakin and Ahsoka's relationship was so important and so impactful to the overall story. I hope you all enjoy this!


	16. Search and Rescue

“General Skywalker, a transmission is coming in from General Koon”, Admiral Yularen said.

A thrill of happiness went through Ahsoka. She hasn’t seen Master Plo since before she was sent to Christophsis. She was glad to see him, even if it was just in holo-form.

“ _ Koh-to-ya _ , Master Plo”, she told him in greeting.

“ _ Koh-to-ya _ , little Soka”, he replied warmly.

“How’s the hunt for the mystery weapon going”, Teacher Anakin asked.

We’ve tracked it to the Abregado system. We need reinforcements”

Ahsoka looked to her Teacher with a questioning look.

“I’ll have to ask the council, Master Plo. I was given strict orders to protect our staging area”, Teacher Anakin said.

The transmission began to cut out. Master Plo’s figure fizzing in and out of his holo-form.

“Master Plo, what’s happening”, Ahsoka asked before the call dropped.

“The Council needs to know that Grievous struck again. Admiral, contact the Council”

The two walked across the bridge and stopped before entering the comms room. 

“This is an important meeting, Ahsoka. Remember, be mindful and speak only when spoken to”, her Teacher said.

“Don’t I always?”, Ahsoka responded with a small grin that faded seeing her Teacher’s strict look.

The doors opened and Ahsoka saw Master Yoda, Master Windu, and Master Kenobi conversing with the Chancellor.

“This mystery system weapon has struck in a dozen systems and disappeared without a trace. We cannot afford to lose any more ships, my friends”

The Chancellor turned to look at her Teacher with a warm smile.

“Ah, Master Skywalker. Have you had any success in finding General Grievous' secret weapon?”

Teacher Skywalker uploaded the visual of Master Plo’s location.

“Master Plo was here in the Abregado System when we lost contact and we have had no further contact with General Plo Koon. The absence of distress beacons show that his fleet was….”

He turned to Ahsoka with an apologetic face.

“That his fleet was destroyed like the others. We are about to prepare a rescue mission”

“Hasn’t Clone Intelligence reported this weapon never leaves any survivors?”, The Chancellor asked.

“The Separatists are being unusually tidy. They don’t want any witnesses”, Master Kenobi answered.

“Tragic are these losses, but prevent more we must”, Master Yoda advised.

“All our battle groups will be reassigned to guard our supply convoys, including yours, Skywalker. I’m afraid we can’t risk any more ships with a rescue mission”, Master Windu said. 

Ahsoka couldn’t listen to anything else they had to say.

“Wait! Just because there haven’t been any survivors before, doesn’t mean there won’t be any this time”

Ahsoka could already hear the lecture she would get from her Teacher later.

“Boldy spoken for one so young”, the Chancellor said.

Ahsoka felt the sting of the dismissal and bit her lip, wincing as she felt her fangs scraping against her skin.

“Excuse my Padawan. We will deploy as you have instructed, Master”, Teacher Skywalker said before disconnecting the comm.

“Ahsoka!”

“If anyone could survive, Master Plo could”, she argued, “I don’t understand why-”

“What you don’t understand is Jedi protocol or your place, my young Padawan”

Teacher Skywalker crossed his arms, standing tall, bristling with authority. Before Ahsoka could continue the door opened and Admiral Yularen stepped into the room.

“Admiral, we’ll split up our ships to maximize our defensive area. I’ll scout ahead for enemy activity”, Teacher Skywalker told him.

“Isn’t that risky, with the mystery weapon out there”, the admiral asked.

“It might be but I know that you won’t argue my orders”, Teacher Skywalker replied, looking at Ahsoka pointedly.

“Come on, Snips”, he told her as Ahsoka reluctantly followed.

*

_ The Twilight  _ just dropped out of hyperspace and Ahsoka’s mind was still on Master Plo.He was still out there and there was nothing she could do to help him without disobeying orders.

“R2, set up the scanner. Modulate for incoming mystery weapons”, Ahsoka said.

“No, R2, tune the scanners for life-forms, highest sensitivity”, her Teacher insisted.

Ahsoka turned to her Teacher with confusion.

“Why would we scan for life-forms to spot an enemy weapon probably just filled with battle droids?”

She finally looked out and saw which system they landed in.

“The Abregado system”, she muttered in shock until she saw her Teacher’s smug grin.

“Huh, so it’s okay when you don’t follow what the Council says?”

“Doing what the Jedi Council says, that’s one thing. How we go about doing it, that’s another. That’s what I’m trying to teach you, my young Padawan”, he explained.

“So you always meant to come out here for survivors?”, Ahsoka asked.

“Lives are at stake Ahsoka. We can’t just turn our backs on them”, her Teacher said.

“That’s what I said back in the comm room”, Ahsoka insisted. 

How did what she said be so different from what her Teacher was doing?

“I know”, Teacher Anakin agreed, “but it’s the way you said it was wrong. Now switch on the illuminator and reach out for the Force. We’ll see if we can help any survivors”

Ahsoka nodded and set the illuminators on before settling into the force. She winced at the wave of death she felt from the wreckage. A mourning cry was heard from beside her and she knew it was her Teacher. He had told her previously that as the child of the Force, death was something that tore apart his very being. A single being would draw a minute reaction but he discovered during the war that death on a large-scale had a catastrophic effect. 

_ Teacher, stay with me. We have to focus on finding Master Plo and the others. _

She waited a beat before hearing his response.

_ You’re right Snips _

Slowly the two of them swept the wreckage before Ahsoka sensed something.

“I feel fear, no, panic”

“They’re close by, we have to hurry”

Soon they reached two pods that were drifting in space, one of them was under attack by the droids who were hovering in space.

“What do we do?”, Ahsoka asked.

“We’re going to use the force to destroy the battle droids while R2 gets aboard their transport. That way we can direct the pod onto  _ The Twilight  _ safely. R2 get ready to deploy”, her Teacher commanded as R2 beeped in confirmation before leaving.

“How are we going to destroy the droids from here?”

“Like this”, Teacher Anakin said before bringing his palm up.

Ahsoka watched as the droid steering the transport was lifted up, flailing in space before twitching in malfunction.

“There that should do it”

Ahsoka couldn’t believe it.

“Can you show me how to do that?”, she eagerly asked.

“One day Snips, for now focus on getting those droids away from the pod and giving R2 a hand”, Teacher Anakin answered.

Ahsoka was focusing on the droids that were descending on the pod when a message began to come in.

“Master Skywalker, is that your droid getting onto the Separatist transport?”

“Affirmative Master Plo. Don’t worry once we take care of the droids we’ll be able to get you and your men out”, Teacher Anakin said

With one more pull of his hand the last of the droids shuddered until they went offline.

“Alright R2, you ready to send the pod in?”

With R2’s affirmative response Teacher Anakin opened the docking bay. Once the pod landed inside Ahsoka and Anakin ran to help the survivors. The two Jedi tore the covering of the pod off and reached to help the two clones who stumbled off the pod.

“Easy trooper, what’s your name”, Ahsoka asked.

The clone she was helping coughed weakly before responding, “I’m Archer, that’s Lyell”

“Alright Archer, now we need to get you some medical attention okay”, Ahsoka told him.

“Wait”, Lyell protested, “General Koon”

“We’re going to help Master Plo too but we have to get you medical attention now”, Teacher Anakin insisted as he led Lyell to the medical droid that was waiting at the door.

“Get them settled into the medbay”, he ordered as he turned back to the pod.

“Teacher, don’t you need help?”, Ahsoka asked, looking back at the large transport. 

“Don’t worry Snips, I got this”, Teacher Anakin told her, flashing his classic confident smile.

Well if anyone could do it, it’s Anakin.

“You came for us Commander. Didn’t think we’d end up being saved”, Archer said as he settled into the medbay.

“What happened out there? I’ve never seen this before from the Separatists”, Ahsoka asked.

“It was the mystery weapon”, Lyell said, “It shot out a massive ion cannon. It disabled all our power, weapons, communication. After that we were easy targets for the clankers after that. We were lucky. General Koon wasted no time to call for an evacuation”

“The two of you are lucky to have Master Plo leading you”

Archer seemed curious at what she said, “Pardon me for asking Commander, but it sounds like you know General Koon well”

Ahsoka was happy to tell him. She still remembered seeing him as a child coming to Shili. He was the first Jedi she ever met. She remembered the experienced Jedi kneeling down to her and offering her a home in the Temple. 

“He’s one of my oldest friends. It was Master Plo Koon who found me and brought me to the Temple where I belonged”

Her wrist comm rang and Anakin’s voice rang through.

“Ahsoka, I’ve got Master Plo’s pod secured along with R2. I need you to bring the medical droid”

Lyell shakily stood up before heading to the door.

“Wait”, Ahsoka said, reaching out in case the man collapsed.

“They are stable for now but they do require a medical frigate. Now I must attend to my new patients”, the medical droid told her before exiting the room.

The clones looked at Ahsoka, eyes firm in determination. 

“Alright let’s go”, she relented and the group made their way to the platform. 

There she saw Master Plo along with three other clones who were being cared for by the medical droid.

She kneeled down next to Master Plo.

“Are you okay, Master Plo? Don’t worry, your men are safe now”

He looked at her with a solemn look on his face.

“Tell me, were you able to save any other survivors?”

Ahsoka was glad that she had an answer for that.

“We were able to save Lyell and Archer, Master Plo”

He brightened at her words, scanning the room before setting his eyes on the pair of men.

“I had thought the hunters had killed all of them. I am glad to see that I was wrong”, Master Plo braced himself on the pod dragging himself up, “Now we must focus on getting out of here”.

Ahsoka followed Master Plo and Teacher Anakin back to the controls.

“We tracked the mystery weapon to this system. That is when we found out it was an ion cannon”, Master Plo explained.

“Lyell mentioned that. He said it was able to knock out all of your power”

“Leaving us defenseless against the Separatists. That is correct”

“Wait, the senses are picking up a massive vessel approaching”

Master Plo leapt to the controls, “Shut down the power systems before they detect us”.

R2 let out a small whirr, catching their attention.

“The droid”

Ahsoka rushed to R2 and apologetically told him, “Sorry little guy”, before shutting him off.

When she got back into her seat, Ahsoka saw one of the biggest ships she had ever seen. 

“That is one big cruiser-crusher”, she said.

Together the Jedi tensed, hoping that the small frigate would go unnoticed among the wreckage. Slowly the massive ship began to turn around.

“They’re coming back”, Teacher Anakin said.

“Are all the systems shut down”, Master Plo asked.

“Is there a problem sir?”

Uh oh.

“We forgot to shut off the medical droid”, Ahsoka said.

The Jedi rushed to turn all the systems back on. They needed to get out of this system now. Soon her Teacher was making way into the debris heading towards open space.

“R2, program the navi-computer. Be ready to get us out of here”, Teacher Anakin said.

“You forgot. We turned him off”, Ahsoka reminded him.

Thankfully Master Plo turned R2 on again and the astromech hurried to his station.

“R2, program the hyperdrive”, she told him.

The droid asked where.

“Anywhere, hurry”, Ahsoka told him.

Anyplace was better than being caught by that death machine.

“Teacher”, Ahsoka worriedly called out.

With a spinning flourish they finally reached open space and Teacher Anakin launched them into hyperspace.

*

They had just landed on the Resolute and Ahsoka was tending to R2 wiping off all smudges the astromech had gotten.

“Skywalker, it is time to give our report to the Council”

Ahsoka winced, they were in so much trouble for this and she probably couldn’t even be there with him either.

“Right, the Council Report”

He began to walk away but then stopped, turning toward her.

“Come on Ahsoka”

She couldn’t believe it.

“You want me there? I figured, because of before-”

“Ahsoka, through it all, you never gave up. You did a great job”

Ahsoka felt a soft light surrounding her and recognized Teacher Anakin’s embrace in the Force.

“But if I’m getting trouble for this, you’re gonna share some of the blame too”, he laughed and the Force around him swelled in pride.

“So, come on and let’s go”

“Right beside you Skyguy”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this house we love Plo Koon!!!! So yeah I saved more clones this time because the clones deserve nice things. Archer and Lyell will reappear later on but I hope you liked these two. A thing I always wondered about this arc was why didn't they use the Force to find them. I mean they did at the end but it could've been faster in my opinion, I don't know. Once again I love reading your feedback so please let me know your thoughts!


	17. Paths Uncovered

Taking a deep breath Anakin opened himself up to the Force. It had been too long since he was able to loosen his hold on his flesh body and release himself. He opened his eyes and found himself back on Naboo or his mindscape that resembled Naboo. 

Anakin had created it as the beginning of the war as a means of escaping the constant cycle of death and pain that surrounded him as a General. Here he had a chance to think but more importantly to see what came next. Of course nothing was certain but Anakin could always glimpse more truth from the Force from the other Jedi.

That is what Anakin came to do. Grievous’ ship had to be destroyed before it could be used against more people. He had to see what was the best way to do that. Anakin walked by the edge of the water feeling the soft breeze until he stopped and kneeled next to the water. In the water he saw his true reflection.

Strands of gold flowing in the wind following the tilt of his head.

The brightest stars in the galaxy made up his glowing eyes.

All together they made up the visage of Anakin Skywalker, child of the Force, unlimited in his power.

He reached a figure towards the water and simply dipped it in before pulling away. Through the disturbance he had created Anakin was able to glimpse the ripples he would make. He saw his reflection wash away and a new image was formed. 

Grievous’ ship was there tearing a new path of destruction.

A squad of Y-wing fighter bombers coming to face the devastating weapon.

They fired not on the ship but the ion cannon itself which soon combusted leaving the ship vulnerable.

Good, once they lost their weapon, Grievous would be left defenseless. All Anakin needed to do was get the assault approved.

*

“This strike force has been commissioned by the Senate to hunt down the enemy’s new battleship. As the bulk of our fleets are engaged on the front lines, we’ll be on our own. General Skywalker has prepared our attack strategy”

Anakin stepped forward at the Admiral’s intro, ready to present his plan. 

“Thank you Admiral. While our capital ships are vulnerable to the enemy’s attack I believe a squad of bombers can out-maneuver their ion weapon. Our target will be the ion cannon, which will lead to an internal explosion within the ship, leaving them defenseless this time. We destroy the ship and Grievous along with it. Any questions?”

“Just tell us where that metal-head is, sir”, was all that Matchstick said.

“Yeah, we’ve been waiting for a chance to take him out”,Broadside added to his brother’s statement.

There’s that fighting spirit of the 501st. A few months after Anakin had become the General of the 501st, Obi-Wan made a remark about Anakin rubbing off on his troopers with his reckless, lively quirks. At the time, the new Knight was annoyed at the comment but now Anakin would wholeheartedly agree with his Master. The 501st were the men who followed Anakin wherever he went and not just because of orders, but because of their loyalty to their Jedi. The loyalty of the clones was precious to Anakin and fueled his desire to make sure that his men would be free after the war. He knows that Padme and a few of her colleagues fought a different battle in the Senate for clones rights and made sure whenever he was on Coruscant to ask if there was anything he could do to help.

“All right, men. Settle down, this is an important mission. We destroy Grievous, we can bring the war to a quicker end. Pilots, prepare your bombers”

Then off they went, moving in unison to prepare for the assault.

“Skywalker, this is a plan that contains many risks to it, but I must say that if you manage to have the ion cannon is disabled it will have been worth it. Are you sure your squadron can complete this mission?”, Master Plo inquired.

“Let’s ask them”, Anakin replied, “Matchstick, you think our boys could pull it off?”

“Yes sir”, Matchstick said standing tall before his General before continuing on, “There hasn’t been a mission Shadow Squadron couldn’t complete”

“That’s right. Minimal casualties, maximum effectiveness. That’s us”, Broadside chimed in again.

“I admire your confidence pilot”, Master Plo said to the man before turning to Anakin, “Even so, minimal casualties may be enough to prevent you from breaking Grievous' defenses”

“Master Plo is right”, Ahsoka said, “With Grevious on that ship, it’s bound to be well-protected”

“Don’t worry, Ahsoka. I have great faith in our men to do their job and we’ll be there as well to ensure that this mission is successful”, Anakin reassured his padawan before walking away to prepare his bomber with R2 by his side.

“Hold on a second buddy, we have to stop by my quarters first”, Anakin told his friend.

R2 rumbled and complained but still followed the young Jedi. Soon the two arrived at Anakin’s quarters and Anakin was quick to grab his comm that he used to contact Kitster when he could.

R2 beeped in annoyance and asked Anakin if he was done already.

“Yeah, don’t worry R2. I just needed to grab-”

And once again Anakin felt thousands of lives scream in agony, sending him to his knees. It was torturous, feeling the lights being snuffed out. It left Anakin feeling raw and empty inside, drowning in the wave of death.

They needed to act fast, before Grievous could strike again.

*

Later as the time for takeoff grew closer Ahsoka joined him, staring at the bombers with anticipation.

“Which one’s mine?”, the young Togruta asked.

“You’re with me”, Anakin happily told her, “You’ll be my gunner”

Anakin almost lost it at the incredulous look Ahsoka threw at him.

“Somebody’s gotta watch my back”, he protested.

“Broadside could do that. Besides you have R2”

“But I so enjoy your company, my Padawan” 

“Just admit it, you don’t like my flying”

“Well no, it’s just that-”

“Skywalker”, Admiral Yularen called out, “the enemy has attacked our convoy of medical transports near Ryndellia”

“Medical transports”, Ahsoka exclaimed, “Only General Grievous would go after clones who can’t fight back”

Oh no.

That’s where he felt the violent disturbance from.

“The Ryndellia system, near Naboo. Isn’t that where our medical base is? I’ll bet that will be his next target”

“There are many star clusters in that area. With a ship that big, he will be unable to chart a course that’s less than ten parsecs”, Master Plo said.

“Looks like we’re gonna have to take a shortcut”, Anakin told the others.

“Admiral, warn that station what’s coming”, he commanded.

Plo Koon gave Anakin a single warning, “This journey may be treacherous. If you lose any ships before you reach the target…”

“We won’t lose anybody”, Anakin interjected, before climbing onto the bomber fighter.

“I will come along and fly fighter escort”, he heard Master Plo say.

“Any help is welcome Master Plo, Anakin said offering the older Jedi a smirk , “Just try not to fall behind”

*

Soon Anakin, Shadow Squadron, and Master Plo’s bomber fighters were beginning to take off when Obi-Wan contacted Anakin.

“Well this certainly is one of your more ambitious plans, my dear Padawan”

“Former Padawan, Master. Don’t worry about me”

“That’s reassuring. Well, take your shortcut and I’ll take the long way but you better be there before I arrive”

“I’ll be there Obi-Wan”

Then off the strike team went into hyperspace, coming out near a large nebula.

“Okay. if we can just manage to navigate through my shortcut, we’ll be alright”, Anakin said.

“A nebula can be very unpredictable. I advise caution”, he heard Master Plo add.

“Don’t worry about us Master Jedi”, Matchstick replied, “We can hold our own. Right Shadow Squadron”

“Copy that, Shadow-2”, Broadside said.

“Does anyone care what the Padawan thinks”, Ahsoka commented.

“Of course we care, Snips, but we’re still going through that nebula”

Anakin couldn’t help himself. Having Ahsoka around was different then it was from being with Obi-Wan, while Anakin often found himself engaging with witty banter whenever he was around his former Master, being with Ahsoka brought out his playful side that he had only reserved for Kitster.

Anakin forced himself to come back to the mission, going through the nebula would require a great amount of skill to lead his squadron successfully. He closed his eyes and reached out to the Force, asking for a clear route through the nebula and felt its response. It seemed as if a string had been tied around his waist pulling him forward in the direction he needed to go.

“This soup is thick. Can you see anything?”

Just keep your eye on my thrusters, Shadow-2”, Anakin assured his men, his eyes glazed over with a jade hue as his presence sunk deeper into the Force.

“They’ll have to, the scanners are useless”, Ahsoka complained, glaring at the scanners in frustration.

“This is old-fashioned flying. You have to feel your way through to stay on course”, Anakin told his apprentice.

“Skywalker is right, Ahsoka. Clear your mind, young one, and you will see the path”, Master Plo agreed.

“Right now, I can’t see anything at all”

“I always know where I'm going”, Broadside said

“Oh yeah, where’s that Broadside”, Matchstick asked.

“I’m going to blow up that battleship”, Broadside enthusiastically said.

“A clear plan, if ever there was one”, Master Plo amusedly stated.

Anakin smiled, focusing back on the invisible string that was leading him on the right path. He could feel it shifting around a swarm of bright lights.

“So Skyguy, how did you know about this shortcut”, Ahsoka asked.

“It’s an old smuggler’s route. The pilots used to talk about it on Tatooine”

While Anakin would work on the repairs for whatever the pilots needed, some would take the chance to boast about their adventures among the beautiful planets they had been on. It was those tales that fueled his desire to be a pilot as a child.

“Smuggler’s route? That makes me feel better”

“They call it the Balmorra Run”, Anakin told her.

“BALMORRA RUN”

“I think I’m picking up a contact”

“Skywalker, listen to me. We need to turn around”, Master Plo said, insistently.

The string pulled tightly, dragging a groan out of Anakin.

_ Do not turn back _

“We can’t”, was all that came out of Anakin’s mouth.

“Another contact. This one’s much larger”, Ahsoka told them.

“Skywalker, Balmorra’s the nesting ground of the giant neebray mantas”, Master Plo said.

What did I drag us into?

_ Calm yourself Child. Follow the path you are given and all will be well. Trust in the Light. _

“All wings line up behind me”, Anakin ordered.

As all the bombers lined up behind Anakin, he took them through the large gathering of the mantas, weaving them away from the giant creatures.

“Hurry, they will not follow us beyond the nebula”

Just then they came across a roaring neebray manta.

“That one looks hungry”, Ahsoka said.

“Nah, it’s just smiling at you”, Anakin told her.

A few minutes later Anakin could see that they were exiting the nebula.

“We’re coming out of it. Let’s hope your shortcut paid off”, Ahsoka grumbled.

“We’re not far behind Grievous now”, Anakin assured her.

“Sir, another contact”, Matchstick said.

“I thought those things wouldn’t follow us”, Ahsoka asked.

“Not following. Coming out of hyperspace. It’s a ship. It’s the  _ Malevolence _ ”

Anakin saw the warship come out of hyperspace and his determination grew. He knew where his target was and it was up to him and his men to carry out the attack

*

Anakin’s ears filled with the cheers of his men as they watched the critical damage they had done to the  _ Malevolence,  _ which was now covered in fire and smoke. Just in time, Obi-Wan showed up with the rest of the fleet to finish Grievous off.

“Anakin, do you copy”

Anakin smiled at the concern he heard in Obi-Wan’s voice.

“I’m here”

“Congratulations, it looks like your mission was a success”

“Good luck with finishing Grievous off, Master. I already did half of the work for you”

“How kind of you, Anakin. We’ll take it from here. But don’t worry, we’ll call when we need you”

“I’ll be waiting, Obi-Wan”

“I know you will”

Anakin brightened at Obi-Wan’s words, hearing the softness in his voice was soothing in a way that no one else but Padme had ever achieved. How lucky Anakin knew he was to have his Master by his side in this all consuming war.


	18. The Guardian pt.ii

Obi-Wan did not get up in the morning expecting to assist Anakin in saving his secret partner. Oh how Qui Gon must surely be laughing at him from the Cosmic Force, seeing his straight laced former Padawan following Anakin once again into chaos.

He walked onto the _ Twilight  _ and saw Anakin hurrying to get the ship online. 

“I trust you’ve already formulated a brilliant plan to rescue the senator”, he said to Anakin.

“As a matter of fact, I have”

“But do you have a plan B? Every operation needs a backup Anakin”

“I don’t have a backup, yet but I do have a plan for getting on that ship”

Of course he didn’t, Obi-Wan had a feeling this was going to be one of their many improvised missions.

“Really?”

“The enemy sensors are obviously damaged, so we’ll sneak in behind them and land in the emergency airlock”

“That’s your plan? Just fly there, land, hope they don’t spot us, and walk in the door?”

“Basically”, was all Anakin said.

“Oh, brilliant. Let’s get going”

It was a good thing that the  _ Malevolence _ was damaged so drastically. They might actually have a chance of going unnoticed.

“If they spot us, we’ll be pulverized”, he warned Anakin.

“They’re too busy repairing the ship. They don’t have time to notice us”

“Subtlety has never been one of your strong points, Anakin. That was clear from your conversation with Senator Amidala”

It amused Obi-Wan to see the bright red blush rushing to Anakin’s cheeks. It was remarkable to see how easy it was to fluster Anakin even after being knighted. He loved to see Anakin actually acting like the twenty year old he actually was, instead of the grown General that he was pressured to be. Obi-Wan knew how Anakin felt about his mask of authority as High General and Councilor but Obi-Wan ,in return, fully loathed the facade of “General Skywalker”.

Dragging his focus away from his unpleasant thoughts as Anakin landed the  _ Twilight. _ Together Obi-Wan and Anakin, along with R2, rose up into the emergency airlock.

“Anakin, you’re crazy”, Obi-Wan couldn’t help but tell him, “Spinning is not flying”

Anakin only threw him a wide grin and said, “But it’s a good trick”

“We do not want to be spotted”, Obi-Wan told him before the lock opened revealing two battledroids which the two Jedi cut down easily.

Together, the two ran through the halls of the ship looking for the Senator.

Anakin’s comlink rang and Ahsoka’s voice came through telling them that they’ve managed to contact the Senator.

When her voice came through Obi-Wan was relieved that she was safe and he couldn’t help but grin at hearing someone else beside him berate Anakin for his reckless decisions. Ahsoka gave them directions to meet with Padme on the ship and off they went running through the ship again.

They finally reached the meeting place, which had multiple monorail routes set up going back and forth all over the ship. Obi-Wan looked around the room trying to find Senator Amidala but could not spot her.

“I don’t see her, Anakin”

“She’s here, Master. I sense it”

A chorus of blaster fire rang in the air and as the two Jedi turned they saw that the Senator was in the middle of a firefight. Quickly the two ignited their lightsabers and jumped from transport to transport deflecting blaster fire from other droids. By then Padme had already jumped onto one of the transports and Anakin leaped to follow her. One of the larger battle droids had managed to blow the railing of the transport that Padme was on but Anakin had managed to save her by catching her with the Force.

“I’ll fetch the droid”, Obi-Wan told them, leaping gracefully after the protocol droid.

Obi-Wan managed to find the golden droid and started to use the Force to lift him up when another transport came by hitting the droid and carrying him away.

“Blast, that’s not good”, he muttered before coming to Anakin.

“Anakin, I got separated from your droid”

“Ugh, I’ll take care of it. We’ll meet you back at the  _ Twilight _ ”, Anakin responded.

“No, we can’t leave yet. I overheard Grievous. Their hyperdrive is almost repaired”, Padme said.

“I’m already headed in that direction, so I’ll make sure that the hyperdrive will stay offline”, Obi-Wan told them.

At the next opening Obi-Wan jumped off the transport walking towards what he hoped the control panels were. However once he got inside, he found himself quickly surrounded by multiple droids and was greeted personally by General Grievous.

“Hello there. General Kenobi, did you really think I would leave the hyperdrive unguarded?”

“Anything is possible. You haven’t exactly impressed me today”

Honestly with how overdramatic Grievous could be,Obi-Wan had to take him down a notch sometimes. 

“Kill him”, Grievous ordered.

When surrounded on all sides, where else is Obi-Wan supposed to go but up. He quickly landed near the Destroyers which conveniently had shields that the Jedi could duck behind. There were three Destroyers and Obi-Wan sent each of them rolling back at the droids surrounding him. He sent the last one back at Grievous before running off into the halls once again.

That was when his commlink went off.

“Obi-Wan? Come in Obi-Wan”, Anakin’s voice rang through.

“Anakin, I’m afraid Grievous is onto us”

“Yeah we noticed”

“We’ll rendezvous back at the _ Twilight _ . The fleet must engage the-”

Before Obi-Wan could finish his sentence the comm cut off and was replaced with only static.

“Ugh, they jammed us”, he mumbled to the air around him.

Obi-Wan managed to find his way back to the monorails again with Grievous in tow and managed to lose him among the ever changing transports. When he ran back into the halls, Obi-Wan headed for the  _ Twilight _ , catching Anakin and the Senator as they were heading into the airlock.

Once inside the ship, Anakin detached them from the warship steering them back towards the fleet. Of course, Grievous wasn’t going to let them go without a fight and began firing at them along with a few other enemy fighters.

Wincing as a few more shots rustled the ship Obi-Wan turned to Anakin.

“Time for some clever tricks, Anakin”

“That’s what I was thinking”

This time Obi-Wan couldn’t object to the spinning.

Yet Grievous was relentless as ever and another explosion rocked the ship.

“You know we have guns. You can shoot back at any time”, Anakin yelled.

Irritated, Obi-Wan told him that he was about to fire back when Padme interrupted, as always taking things into her own hands.

Admittedly, that was one of the things that Obi-Wan admired about her. Even back on that first mission, Padme was sure of herself that she could even keep Master Qui Gon on his toes, to the old Master’s delight.

When Padme shot down a fighter, Obi-Wan couldn’t help himself.

“Nice shot, Senator”

“Beginner’s luck”, she humbly told him.

R2 let out a series of beeps.

“Pardon me sir, but R2’s scan of the enemy’s ship indicates their hyperdrive is activating”, C-3P0 translated.

“Don’t worry about it”, Anakin nonchalantly said.

Anakin what devious machinations did you pull off this time? Obi-Wan’s question was soon answered by the  _ Malevolence _ exploding in a bright light.

“I imagine that you had something to do with that”, he said.

“All part of the plan, Master”, was Anakin’s reply, his blue eyes glinting in delight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go two chapter in one day because I cannot stop writing! To be honest, this arc was so much fun to write, especially since I kept switching up the POVs. Hope you all enjoy this!


	19. Revelation of a New Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Great news! I have gained a beta for this fic. I want to thank @chromanebula for helping me with this fic for helping me with the editing for this chapter. I can't wait to continue writing!

“It’s okay, Ani. You can tell me everything when you’re ready,” Padmé said.

Anakin continued to stare down at the cup of caf in front of him. Honestly, he still hadn’t processed what had happened. It was supposed to be a simple trade to get Dooku from those damn pirates. He wasn’t expecting to get drugged and he definitely didn’t expect his reaction to the drug, exposing his deep attraction towards his Master.

It wasn’t even just lust that Anakin felt toward Obi-Wan and that bothered him the most. He had promised Padmé that he would be loyal to her. That it was impossible for him to love another the way he loved her, but it was now a lie. Coming back from Florrum, Anakin could barely meet Obi-Wan’s eyes. He avoided his Master the entire trip back because Anakin knew that with one simple voice of concern from Obi-Wan would bring Anakin to his knees.

That was one of Anakin’s weaknesses, after all: emotion. He could never hide his emotions very well, always preferring to voice his opinions and thoughts to whoever would listen. Now Anakin wasn’t sure how he would be able to keep his secret buried this time, but like always, he turned to Padmé.

“I love him, Padmé.”

“What do you mean?”

“Obi-Wan. I love Obi-Wan, Padmé.”

That was all he could say while biting his lip, bracing himself for rejection.

Padmé sighed. “When did you figure it out?”

Anakin’s head shot up. “What?”

Padmé gave him a soft smile. “It didn’t take me that long to figure it out Anakin.”

Anakin couldn’t believe it, “How did you figure it out before I did?”

“Actually I figured out Obi-Wan’s feelings before figuring out yours.”

“Obi-Wan doesn’t like me that way. He only sees me as his former Padawan and that’s it,” Anakin insisted, pushing down the small flame of hope.

“Anakin, you didn’t see him after Geonosis. Obi-Wan never left your side while you were in the bacta tank, not even when we came back to the Temple and Obi-Wan begged the Healers to stay by your side. He loves you, Anakin. He just doesn’t know the extent to which he loves you.”

“Well, neither did I,” Anakin retorted. His mind went back to the thoughts he had in his drugged state and he blushed. 

“I thought I was the only one who could make you blush that hard, Ani, what did Obi-Wan do to make you that lovely shade of red?”

Anakin felt as though Padmé was taking him to bed for the first time all over again. “It feels like anything he does makes me feel this way. When I was leaving the Temple, Obi-Wan caught up to me and demanded to know what was wrong. I just told him that I needed to spend time with you and he let me go but not before telling me to  _ Take care, dear one _ in that gorgeous accent of his.”

Padmé hummed appreciatively. “No wonder you looked like such a mess coming in here.”

Anakin shivered, remembering the cadence of Obi-Wan’s voice. “Even the way he says my name drives me crazy.”

Padmé let out a laugh. “Oh yes, when he sounds so exasperated with you and he says,  _ Ahn-akin. _ It certainly is so adorable the way he says it.”

The young Knight couldn’t help but groan at the mimicry of his Master’s voice. Oh how pathetic, Anakin felt knowing that just his Master’s voice was enough to get him off. 

“I have to admit,” Padmé told him, “I like the reaction it drags out of you, darling.”

Anakin looked at Padmé again and recognized the desire in her eyes. 

“Are you okay with this Padmé? You seem to be taking this... _ too _ well.”

Now it was Padmé who was blushing.

“Well, after you left Varykino the second time I knew that it would only be a matter of time before the two of you recognized your feelings. So I spent a lot of time thinking about how I felt about you and Obi-Wan and I was going to bring this up to you eventually but I always backed out before asking you. Do you know what a triad is?”

Anakin did not expect that question.

“Uh, not really. I mean, I know that it’s a regular relationship but it has three people in it right?”

Padmé offered an encouraging grin.

“That’s right. I know that you probably don’t see a lot of threesomes on Coruscant outside of the club environment but on some worlds like Naboo, it is more common to see triad relationships that are based on more than sex. A lot of these triads are given the same rights as couples, including equal rights when it comes to marriage and having children.”

“So you’ve already thought about being in a triad relationship with me and Obi-Wan?”

“Yes, I did. Only if you are okay with it, Anakin. You are my husband, first and foremost.”

Anakin thought about it. Was it selfish to want both of them? He was already defying the Council by being with Padmé, did he want to drag Obi-Wan down with him? Would Obi-Wan want to be a part of this? Did Padmé even want to do this or was she just trying to please him?

He didn’t see Padmé moving until she tilted his chin to look into her caring eyes.

“I wouldn’t suggest this if I wasn’t comfortable with it, Ani. I love you and if Obi-Wan was willing, I could see myself loving him too. You have so much love in you for the both of us. It would be a shame if you could never share that with him.”

Anakin Skywalker felt like he was falling in love with Padmé Naberrie all over again. He couldn’t wait until the war was over to finally marry her and a small part of him wanted. No. Not even a small part. His whole being, body, mind and soul, longed for Obi-Wan.

“Okay. Let’s do it.”

Then he rose up to kiss her and their lips began to move in sync. Anakin moved his hand to grab Padmé’s waist when she pulled away.

“So eager, Ani?”

“Very, I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

“Really, you missed me that much, darling?”

Oh, that’s what Padmé wanted.

His angel wanted to play with him and Anakin desperately wanted to be her sweet boy tonight.

“I missed you so much, milady.”

Anakin knew how much Padmé loved that title in the bedroom and relished in the slight shudder he produced in her.

“What do you want me to do to you, my sweet Jedi?”

Anakin dropped to his knees before his angel.

“Use me for whatever desires you have, milady. I’m all yours.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first fanfic so I apologize if any characters seemed OOC. I am happily accepting any critiques or advice for my future writing. I am looking forward to writing more. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! All credit goes to George Lucas, Disney, and the creators of Star Wars for the characters and the general plot.


End file.
